The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called the Bill of Rights “lay down the law”, after completing its passage through parliament on Thursday.
“It’s especially worrying that the law Expand the powers of the police to stop and search individuals, with no doubt; defines some new criminal offenses in a vague and very broad way; and imposes unnecessary and unfair criminal sanctions on people organizing or participating in peaceful protests,” said Mr. Türk.
He appealed to the UK Government to change the law, which has yet to receive royal assent, “as soon as possible”.
The government insists that the fundamental right to protest is still protected under the law, but it brings new penalties for so-called “guerrilla tactics”.
The bill was introduced to counter disruptive protests by activists such as Just Stop Oil and the Destruction Rebellion groups, which have used tactics such as blocking highways and burying themselves on trains, including those in around the UK Parliament in central London.
Environmental protesters were targeted
The UN rights chief emphasized that the express goal of the law of “the protested about humanity and the environment” is particularly concerning.
“As the world faces the three world crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, governments should be. protecting and facilitating peaceful protests on such subjects as exist, not preventing and blocking them” said Mr. Türk.
‘Unnecessary’ expansion of police powers
Mr. Türk insists that the law is “totally irrelevant”, given existing UK police powers to act against violent demonstrations. He also criticized the criminalization of protests linked to the new law.
The Public Order Act introduces “Special Disruption Prevention Orders” which, according to the UN rights chief’s office, have the power to significantly limit the freedoms of protesters, by allowing courts to ban individuals from being in certain places at certain times, being with certain people, or even to limit the way they use the internet..
Under the new law, individuals can monitor electronic devices to ensure compliance, even if they are not accused of any crime.
Limitations of ‘pre-emptive’ rights
Mr. Türk said that governments need to facilitate peaceful protests while “protecting the public from serious and sustained disruption“, but that the Public Order Law can “pre-emptively limit someone’s future legitimate rights”.
The UN rights chief also warned that the new law “unfortunately weakens human rights commitments” which the UK has “long championed” in the international arena.
