‘This bill will give power to the police to restrict the right to protest’

• LIKE Raj Chada, I am very concerned that if the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill 2021 is approved by parliament, our fundamental right to protest will be taken away, (Our democratic values are under attack July 8).

This bill will give power to the police to restrict the right to protest, the public will be criminalised without any evidence of criminal activity. The police have become the unquestioning agents of government and major industry.

What is more chilling is The Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Act which received royal assent in March 2021.

This act allows innumerable agencies, for example any police force, the armed forces, government department (a full list can be obtained from www.legislation.gov.uk) to authorise undercover agents to infiltrate any group or organisation which they suspect, not just of terrorist offences but of any activity thought to be against political or business interest.

This creates the risk that such agents could actively encourage crime by otherwise peaceful grass-root protesters.

It has been suggested that this happened during the Extinction Rebellion protests so as to justify both the CHIS act and the proposed policing bill.

The CHIS permits agents of the state to commit crimes without restriction. This is a startling breach of the principle that no one is above the law; as well as the so-called justification that “I was only obeying orders”.

This principle was established at the Nuremberg war crimes tribunals following World War II and disregard of this principle raises justifiable protest when adopted by dictatorships such those in Russia or China.

Many may think this is acceptable under the banner of national security, but I see it as a recipe for disaster.

I find it hard to understand why Sir Keir Starmer, the great libertarian lawyer, whipped his MPs to abstain from voting against this act.

The price of freedom requires constant vigilance and without any active opposition this authoritarian government will monitor and control every aspect of our lives.

Act now, while you are still able, and protest against the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill.

JANE DEAN
Lyndhurst Road, NW3