#Activists could be tracked by GPS under draconian Public Order Bill#
*Bethany Rielly Tuesday, May 24, 2022*
CAMPAIGNERS could be hit with “unprecedented and highly draconian” protest bans under new legislation debated by MPs later today.
The Public Order Bill, which is due to receive its second reading in the Commons, contains a provision allowing police to fit campaigners with electronic GPS tags and ban them from attending protests by using new serious prevention orders.
The measure would see individuals prohibited from attending demonstrations if they have been convicted on two occasions of protest-related offences.
Worryingly, an order can also be handed to a protester who has not been convicted but has been deemed to cause serious disruption on two occasions.
People given such orders can also face other restrictions, including on their online activity, who they can talk to and where they can go.
Civil rights group Liberty said the provision marks a “significant expansion of state surveillance on protesters” as the authorities will receive powers to monitor the activities of campaigners to ensure that they are complying with the order.
Among those powers, police will be allowed to fit activists with ankle tags, which can be imposed for up to 12 months and perhaps longer if the order is renewed.
In a briefing paper published ahead of the debate, Liberty described the provision as “unprecedented and highly draconian,” warning that the orders could amount to “a ban on named individuals’ fundamental right to protest.”
The Bill also proposes expanding stop-and-search powers and creating a new “locking on” offence, which would criminalise protesters who use bike locks or chains to secure themselves to each other or to objects.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is expected to tell MPs later today that the Bill is intended to tackle a “rise in criminal, disruptive and self-defeating tactics from a supremely selfish minority.”
But Amnesty International warns that if the measure becomes law, it will “seriously curtail human rights” and has called on MPs to reject the legislation in its entirety.
Labour has also voiced opposition to the measures, with the front bench tabling a motion to block the Bill.
Liberty head of policy and campaigns Sam Grant said that the legislation constituted a power grab by a “government determined to shut down accountability.”
He added: “Protest is a right, not a gift from the state, and measures like these are designed to stop ordinary people from making their voices heard.”
Meanwhile instead of actually focusing attention on climate, we’re distracted by yet more govt bullshit to win law and order votes
We have mounting evidence these past few weeks that Tory MPs need to be GPS monitored to make sure they’re not raping children or adults. But no it will be people asking government to do its job who get punished.
Make even peaceful protest a crime then use the ‘conviction’ as a means to control in a way never before possible in history.
It’s the dream of Stalin come to life.
Imagine if they put this much effort into fighting climate change…
Country prefers Passivists over Activists.
Where does Piti Patel find photographers that are so much shorter than her? Does she train rodents to carry a go-pro?
Maybe we should be tracking the rapists the tories seem to be churning out
This is after an MP gave a speech about Tory Fascism, and the Tories decide “yeah lets do some more authoritarian/fascist things”
So is it too early to talk about fascism or not? Like, we’re neck deep in it.
But I guess “reasonable” people who “know about history” still think we live in a goddamn fairy tale.
Isn’t this playing straight into the hands of XR, for instance?
This will only increase the amount of coverage that their protests get, and the police won’t know anything that they don’t already…of course the protesters are at the protest!
Also, they might use tagged protesters to send the police on wild goose chases while untagged protesters break into a refinery or whatever.
I’m 100% sure the government and police have all the surveillance they need, via phones, CCTV, plainclothes officers etc.
This is purely theatre for Tory voters, and will backfire in the most spectacular fashion.
The government are taking 1984 too seriously it seems.
None of this will ever happen. Patel just looks for the nastiest thing she can claim to be considering because it gets her headlines. When you consider that everything she does is a pitch to the Tory right, not traditionally huge on Asians or women, it all makes sense.
What a lovely ruling party. Only two years left…
I’m sorry but that new law would be the stupidest thing a supposed democratic country could ever do… unless it was on its way to being an autocracy.
we should GPS monitor every single MP and every single police officer.
19 comments
#Activists could be tracked by GPS under draconian Public Order Bill#
*Bethany Rielly Tuesday, May 24, 2022*
CAMPAIGNERS could be hit with “unprecedented and highly draconian” protest bans under new legislation debated by MPs later today.
The Public Order Bill, which is due to receive its second reading in the Commons, contains a provision allowing police to fit campaigners with electronic GPS tags and ban them from attending protests by using new serious prevention orders.
The measure would see individuals prohibited from attending demonstrations if they have been convicted on two occasions of protest-related offences.
Worryingly, an order can also be handed to a protester who has not been convicted but has been deemed to cause serious disruption on two occasions.
People given such orders can also face other restrictions, including on their online activity, who they can talk to and where they can go.
Civil rights group Liberty said the provision marks a “significant expansion of state surveillance on protesters” as the authorities will receive powers to monitor the activities of campaigners to ensure that they are complying with the order.
Among those powers, police will be allowed to fit activists with ankle tags, which can be imposed for up to 12 months and perhaps longer if the order is renewed.
In a briefing paper published ahead of the debate, Liberty described the provision as “unprecedented and highly draconian,” warning that the orders could amount to “a ban on named individuals’ fundamental right to protest.”
The Bill also proposes expanding stop-and-search powers and creating a new “locking on” offence, which would criminalise protesters who use bike locks or chains to secure themselves to each other or to objects.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is expected to tell MPs later today that the Bill is intended to tackle a “rise in criminal, disruptive and self-defeating tactics from a supremely selfish minority.”
But Amnesty International warns that if the measure becomes law, it will “seriously curtail human rights” and has called on MPs to reject the legislation in its entirety.
Labour has also voiced opposition to the measures, with the front bench tabling a motion to block the Bill.
Liberty head of policy and campaigns Sam Grant said that the legislation constituted a power grab by a “government determined to shut down accountability.”
He added: “Protest is a right, not a gift from the state, and measures like these are designed to stop ordinary people from making their voices heard.”
Meanwhile instead of actually focusing attention on climate, we’re distracted by yet more govt bullshit to win law and order votes
We have mounting evidence these past few weeks that Tory MPs need to be GPS monitored to make sure they’re not raping children or adults. But no it will be people asking government to do its job who get punished.
Make even peaceful protest a crime then use the ‘conviction’ as a means to control in a way never before possible in history.
It’s the dream of Stalin come to life.
Imagine if they put this much effort into fighting climate change…
Country prefers Passivists over Activists.
Where does Piti Patel find photographers that are so much shorter than her? Does she train rodents to carry a go-pro?
Maybe we should be tracking the rapists the tories seem to be churning out
This is after an MP gave a speech about Tory Fascism, and the Tories decide “yeah lets do some more authoritarian/fascist things”
So is it too early to talk about fascism or not? Like, we’re neck deep in it.
But I guess “reasonable” people who “know about history” still think we live in a goddamn fairy tale.
Isn’t this playing straight into the hands of XR, for instance?
This will only increase the amount of coverage that their protests get, and the police won’t know anything that they don’t already…of course the protesters are at the protest!
Also, they might use tagged protesters to send the police on wild goose chases while untagged protesters break into a refinery or whatever.
I’m 100% sure the government and police have all the surveillance they need, via phones, CCTV, plainclothes officers etc.
This is purely theatre for Tory voters, and will backfire in the most spectacular fashion.
The government are taking 1984 too seriously it seems.
None of this will ever happen. Patel just looks for the nastiest thing she can claim to be considering because it gets her headlines. When you consider that everything she does is a pitch to the Tory right, not traditionally huge on Asians or women, it all makes sense.
What a lovely ruling party. Only two years left…
I’m sorry but that new law would be the stupidest thing a supposed democratic country could ever do… unless it was on its way to being an autocracy.
we should GPS monitor every single MP and every single police officer.
Down with the fascists
To be born with a chip in your shoulder 😂😎
Goodbye democracy and freedom of thought
So revolution sooner rather than later, then