December 2022
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This conference examined the future of protest rights, tactics, and police response in England and Wales.
It came as the Public Order Bill continues its passage through Parliament. It was a timely opportunity to discuss priorities for the legislation, its implementation, and the wider framework of rights and powers following the recent amendment to the Bill strengthening ministerial and police powers.
The conference brought together policymakers with local authorities, businesses, protest groups, emergency services, and other key stakeholders to consider the priorities for balancing protest rights with the disruption of services and infrastructure.
Delegates discussed the place of protests in modern public life and examined legislation such as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, as well as the wider future for policy following reports that the Bill of Rights Bill will now be put before Parliament in due course.
Overall, sessions in the agenda focused on:
- the UK’s legal framework: protesting and human rights
- the place of protest in daily life: freedom of expression - the way forward for policy and legislation - options for striking a balance between protest rights and public disruption
- new powers, criminal offences and the Public Order Bill: examining specific powers and provisions in the Bill - clarity on definitions and criteria for compliance:
- stop and search powers - new criminal offences for ‘locking on’
- prevention orders
- avoiding unintended breaches
- introduction of new Serious Disruption Prevention Orders
- responding to disruptive protest: criteria for intervention - priorities for police conduct and accountability
- the future of protest tactics and response: police and protestor liaison - public and protestor safety - police planning and training - responding to hacktivism and new digital forms of protest
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with Joanna Cherry KC MP, Chair, Joint Committee on Human Rights; Matt Parr, HM Inspector of Constabulary; and Professor Gavin Phillipson, Public Law and Human Rights, University of Bristol Law School.
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from the Home Office; the GLD; BEIS; DAERA, NI; DfT; DSTL; HMRC; the House of Commons Library; the ORR; and The Scottish Government - as well as parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons.
