LONDON (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters joined protesters across Britain on Saturday against a proposed law that would give the police extra powers to contain the protests, with some fights breaking out after a march in London.
The Police, Crime, Penalties and Courts bill aims to toughen measures that police can take to disperse demonstrations, such as imposing time and noise limits, which activists and activists fear will be used to contain dissent. .
“Kill the Bill” marches have been held in dozens of towns and cities, supported by major campaign groups, such as climate change advocates, Extinction Rebellion and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Almost all went peacefully, but there were minor clashes in central London between the protesters and the police after a demonstration attended by several thousand people.
The London Metropolitan Police, which mobilized a large number of police in the capital to end the protest, said there were 26 arrests and 10 police officers were injured, although none of them were seriously injured.
“The vast majority of people who came to central London today did so while maintaining their social distance,” said Commander Ade Adelekan. “However, a small minority was not involved, despite repeated efforts by officers on the ground.
“This left us with no option but to move to a law enforcement stage and the arrests were made.”
FREE SPEECH
The new project follows the action of the Extinction Rebellion, which paralyzed parts of London in early 2019 and fueled calls from some politicians for the police to be given stricter powers to prevent excessive disturbances.
Since the bill was presented to parliament last month, there have been sporadic demonstrations across the country, with Saturday’s demonstrations being part of what organizers said was a national weekend of action.
“(I am here) to defend the rights of freedom of expression and the rights of organizations in our society,” said Jeremy Corbyn, a former leader of the main opposition party, the Labor Party, who participated in the protest in London.
“These demonstrations, 50 of them today, will make a difference,” he told Reuters in front of the Houses of Parliament.
Much of the protest so far has been concentrated in the city of Bristol, in southwest England. Some demonstrations there have become violent, with policemen bombed with missiles and police vehicles on fire, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson described as “shameful attacks”.
A large crowd gathered again in Bristol on Saturday night, although the rally remained peaceful.
Some high-ranking officials said the label “kill the bill” was deliberately provocative, as “the bill” is a nickname for the police in Britain.
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge Writing by Michael Holden Editing by Frances Kerry, David Holmes and Gareth Jones