A group of 19 faith leaders have signed an open letter in opposition to the “cumulative disruption” clause in the Crime and Policing Bill, arguing that it would undermine the right to peaceful protest.
The government says that the new clause is aimed at tackling the problems caused to local communities by repeated protests. In particular the law appears to be aimed at tackling frequent pro-Palestine marches, with the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, arguing that they cause “fear within the Jewish community”.
She argues, “The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country. However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear. Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.
“This has been particularly evident in relation to the considerable fear within the Jewish community, which has been expressed to me on many occasions in these recent difficult days. These changes mark an important step in ensuring we protect the right to protest while ensuring all feel safe in this country.”
The proposals were put forward in October, with the government also citing one protest in which 500 people were arrested for supporting the now banned group, Palestine Action.
In their open letter, the faith leaders argued that the new clause is “vague and broad, meaning that it could affect a huge range of protests".
"It could mean that we are stopped from demonstrating because another protest previously took place in the same area, even if it was on a completely different issue," they wrote.
The letter was signed by Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together in England, Rev Lynn Green, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, as well as representatives of other Christian denominations and the Jewish and Muslim communities.
