The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said the UK’s new restrictions on protest are ‘not necessary nor proportionate’ and is calling on the UK government to repeal the new anti-protest measures in the Public Order Act.
Despite this, the leaders of both the UK’s major parties are backing the continuation of these repressive anti-protest laws. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing growing backlash against the heavy-handed policing of coronation protests, but has said it was “right” that his government has handed over sweeping new anti-protest powers to the police. And at the same time the Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer has refused to commit to repealing the laws should his party take office.
As the next general election looms, we are calling on all parties to commit to defending our basic human rights: from the right to protest, to the right to strike and the right to boycott human rights-abusing companies and countries. Write to your MP today and demand that all parties defend our basic rights.
