UK Increases Police Authority to Repress Protestors
The United Kingdom has increased police authority as a result of updated legislation that became effective on Sunday. This action was first proposed in January and was backed by the nation’s top officials.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had supported an amendment to an already-existing public order law that gave police the power to “move” protestors and activists who impede traffic or construction projects while holding their rallies.
Authorities said protestors who are found guilty of “tunnelling”—or digging subterranean tunnels to obstruct the development of new infrastructure works—could serve up to three years in prison. An individual who is found guilty of obstructing an important transportation project gets a maximum six-month prison term.
The new policy was criticized for having the potential to restrict free speech, but UK officials defended it as a measure to safeguard the populace from a disruptive minority.
“The freedom to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it is not unqualified. Mr. Sunak had defended the action in January by saying that a compromise must be made between the rights of individuals and the rights of the hard-working majority to go about their daily business.
“We cannot have protests organized by a tiny minority disrupting the lives of the general public,” the British prime minister continued. We’ll put an end to it because it’s unacceptable.
According to Home Secretary Suella Braverman, “selfish protesters” frequently interrupt the lives of the general population.
Residents of the UK have “had enough of having their lives disturbed by self-centered demonstrators. The chaos we’ve witnessed on our streets is scandalous, Ms. Braverman remarked.
