The UK government has been reprimanded by judges for unlawfully changing legislation to grant police enhanced powers to curb street protests. Liberty, a civil liberties group, challenged the amendments, claiming they gave police excessive authority to restrict demonstrations. The alterations were made during Suella Braverman’s tenure as home secretary, who aimed to crack down on protesters utilizing “guerilla tactics” following disruptive protests by groups like Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion.
In a significant ruling, judges stated that lawmakers did not intend to lower the threshold for police intervention against protests. The High Court criticized the government for not consulting those who could be negatively impacted by the changes. Liberty hailed the decision as “a victory for democracy” and criticized the government for attempting to seize more power through secondary legislation after their proposals were rejected by lawmakers.
The government’s indication of appealing the ruling indicates a potential showdown over civil liberties and the right to protest in the UK.