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UK Court of Appeal: Government Anti-Protest Laws Ruled Unlawful

11 months ago
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Source: Liberty Human Rights UK / Court of Appeal

TL;DR

In a landmark victory for civil liberties, the UK Court of Appeal upheld a High Court ruling that anti-protest legislation was unlawful. The government had attempted to lower the threshold for police intervention from serious disruption to more than minor disruption.

In a landmark victory for civil liberties, the UK Court of Appeal upheld a High Court ruling that government anti-protest legislation was unlawful. Liberty, the human rights organization, successfully argued that the Home Secretary exceeded parliamentary authority when implementing legislation that lowered the threshold for police intervention in protests from causing serious disruption to causing more than minor disruption. The Court found that the government attempted to sneak this law through the back door using secondary legislation after Parliament had already rejected the same proposals in January 2023 as part of the Public Order Act. The judges also ruled that the consultation process was one-sided and not fairly carried out. This ruling affirms that governments cannot circumvent parliamentary intent and that accountability matters. Hundreds of protesters, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, had been arrested under these unlawful measures.

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