The Government has today announced new protest laws to arrest those wearing face coverings and to ban flares. Conservatives are sticking to their plan to give the police the powers they need to crackdown on criminal behaviour and keep our streets safe.
The right to protest is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy, but recent protests have seen a small minority using face coverings to conceal their identities – not only to intimidate the law-abiding majority, but also avoid criminal convictions. This is not acceptable and undermines the peaceful protest of others. That is why Government is giving the police new powers to arrest some protesters who wear face coverings, banning flares and other pyrotechnics at protests, and making climbing on war memorials a specific public order offence. Protesters will no longer be able to cite the right to protest as a reasonable excuse to get away with disruptive offences, such as blocking roads.
The Government is cracking down on the small minority of violent protesters who are causing damage and intimidating the public, as Conservatives stick with the plan to keep people safe and stand with the communities who feel threatened.