Huge 'Kill the Bill' protest in Truro against new Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill
Campaigners gathered at Lemon Quay, claiming it undermines their right to protest peacefully
Despite lockdown, campaigners have taken to the streets of Truro in a 'Kill the Bill' protest.
They are angry about the new Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill, saying it undermines their right to protest peacefully.
The bill would change how protests are policed and make some aspects of the Coronavirus Act permanent.
Protestors with signs like 'Kill the Bill' and 'Fight for the Right to Protest', gathered on Lemon Quay on Saturday afternoon (March 20th).
It comes after footage from a vigil for Sarah Everard in London showed people being arrested and pinned to the ground.
The protest was organised by the Resist G7 group who, posting ahead of the event, called the bill the "biggest threat to our freedom that we've seen in generations".
"This new bill will give them unprecedented power to crackdown on protests. The UK has a long and proud history of protest. And it’s through taking to the streets that we’ve won many of the rights we now take for granted.
"The new bill gives the police more power to impose conditions on a protest, including ones they view as too noisy. Meanwhile, if your actions cause "serious annoyance" you could face ten years in jail.
"And it's not just protest. The bill will make trespass an offence, criminalising Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. And it introduces new stop and search powers that will increase racial profiling and harassment".
They added: "We need to act now to kill the bill!"
Resist G7
What are the rules around protests?
At the moment, police have to show a protest may result in “serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community” before they are able to issue restrictions, as well as proving protestors know they have been told to move on.
Under the new bill, permission for protests would need to be granted in advance and those protesting could be fined £2,500 if they go ahead with a protest without permission.
Speaking to ITV News Westcountry on Saturday, organiser and civil liberties campaigner, Emily, said "criminalising" protests further is a "real attack on our fundamental rights that we have in this country".
She added "It's really interesting coming here today with the Covid regulations because none of us want to be out on the streets with Covid, we've all been very strict about not being out but we have to question what kind of world we're going to end up in when this is over and this fight has to happen now or it'll be too late.
"We don't want to be here but we have to be here because we have to say that this bill cannot go through because it is such a fundamental attack on our civil liberties".
Emily, Protest Organiser
Similar protests are being held across the country this week, with campaigners claiming that the new bill undermines their right to peaceful protest.