JOINT BRIEFING ON THE PUBLIC ORDER BILL FOR REPORT STAGE IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS
The Public Order Bill is a staggering escalation of the Government’s clampdown on protest. Throughout its passage in the House of Lords, the Public Order Bill has been criticised by peers for being “draconian”,1 “worrying,”2 and “open to serious objection and in some ways misconceived.”3 Most recently, five UN Special Rapporteurs have said that the Bill “could result in undue and grave restrictions” on civil liberties if not seriously amended.4
As a coalition of 74 organisations spanning the human rights, privacy, criminal justice, democracy, children’s rights, international development, environment, freedom of speech and expression, health, trade union, violence against women and girls, racial justice, housing, legal, community, migrants’ rights and faith sectors, we urge parliamentarians to defend protest rights and support amendments to mitigate the Public Order Bill’s worst effects.
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