The General Secretary of Churches Together in England has told Premier that a new clause in the Crime and Policing Bill would have a “chilling effect” on the right to peaceful protest.
Bishop Mike Royal is among 19 Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist leaders who have written a letter urging MPs to remove the “cumulative disruption” clause, saying it is too vague and could shut down lawful, conscience-led protest.
The leaders say that despite their differences, they share a common commitment to love and justice. Members of all their communities are led by conscience to protest peacefully on issues that matter to them, they said.
And they point out that peaceful protest has often involved cumulative action: “Campaigns that changed the world from the suffragettes to communities standing up against fracking were built on repeated, sustained demonstration.
“We believe the Bill’s new clause on ‘cumulative disruption’ undermines our right to peaceful protest. It 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.
“Peaceful protest motivated by faith, belief and love should be celebrated, not criminalised.”
Bishop Mike told Premier: “What is happening here is what you might describe as a chilling effect on the right to peacefully protest, to assemble and to protest against something or for something that you have a concern about. And we think that's a democratic right that is at the heart of a functioning democracy.
“I think it's important as Christians and as faith groups that we are upholding those rights. Many of the rights that we have around civil rights and globally is because Christians have stood up and made a point, often at great cost, and that right should be maintained in a modern, functioning democracy.”
Announcing the clause last October, the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “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.
“These changes mark an important step in ensuring we protect the right to protest while ensuring all feel safe in this country.”
The Bill returns to the House of Commons on 14 April following its Lords’ third reading on 25 March.
It’s the third piece of anti-protest legislation in recent years.