EDM 853: Right to peaceful protest

That this House believes that the right to peacefully protest is a fundamental pillar of our democracy and must be protected; is deeply concerned about the sweeping restrictions on when, how and where people can protest posed by provisions within the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023; notes that this legislation has expanded police powers to restrict noisy protests, introduced protest-specific stop and search powers, and has created new criminal offences that limit peaceful protest tactics; further notes that non-violent protestors have been sentenced to record lengths of time in prison at a time when our criminal justice system is in crisis and our prisons are over-flowing; rejects the use of existing powers to punish protestors without criminal trial by taking away their right to travel, keeping them in cells and on remand for extended periods and imposing stringent conditions including curfews, tagging, restrictions on their freedom of movement; and therefore, calls on the Government to repeal the protest-related provisions within the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023 and to demonstrate its commitment to democracy by upholding the fundamental right to protest.