Thousands join latest 'kill the bill' protests over the UK
04 April, 2021
Thousands of demonstrators rallied over the UK on Saturday within a "national weekend of action" against a proposed new law that could give police added powers to clamp down on protests.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts costs aims to toughen measures authorities can take to disperse protests. These include imposing time and noise limits, which activists fear would be employed to curb dissent.
On Saturday, 'kill the bill' marches were held in a large number of towns and cities, including London, Manchester and Bristol. They were reinforced by big campaign groups such as for example climate change campaigners Extinction Rebellion and the Black Lives Matter movement.
"(I'm here) to guard the rights of free speech, and the rights of organisations inside our society," stated Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the opposition Labour Party. He was one of the thousand who became a member of the protest in central London, where at least one officer was hurt as demonstrators clashed with police.
"These demonstrations, 50 of these today, will make a notable difference," he told Reuters opposite the Houses of Parliament.
Because the bill was brought before parliament keep going month, there were sporadic protests. In Bristol, southwest England, demonstrations have turned violent with officers and a police station bombarded with bricks and glass bottles and police vehicles establish on fire.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticised what he referred to as "disgraceful attacks" on officers, but protesters have accused police of using heavy-handed tactics.
Days of protests by Extinction Rebellion, which paralysed elements of London in early 2019, fuelled calls from some politicians for the authorities to get the tougher powers to prevent excessive disruption.
Demonstrations had not been permitted even though a coronavirus lockdown was first set up, but restrictions were eased this week, meaning the rallies could go ahead providing these were "Covid secure".
In London, police warned, "enforcement action will be studied, if needed, in the interests of public health". Some senior officers have explained the "kill the costs" tag was deliberately provocative as "the costs" is normally a nickname in Britain for the authorities.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com
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