More than 45 civil society organisations, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, have issued a statement denouncing the government’s attempt to give the police sweeping new power to restrict protests.
An amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, tabled in the House of Lords with no scrutiny yet in the Commons, will require the police to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated protests in the same area as a factor when imposing conditions on processions or assemblies.
If this becomes law, the police in England and Wales will be required to consider any past protests or planned future protests in the same ‘area’ when deciding whether to impose restrictions. The size of an ‘area’ is not specified. And police will be empowered to impose restrictions based on other protests organised for entirely different causes or involving different people.
This raises the possibility that an anti-racist march could be blocked from taking place in Whitehall because a farmers’ protest happened there six months earlier, or a Pride march restricted because a far-right demonstration was recently held in the same town.
After the home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the “cumulative disruption” proposal in October 2025, more than 100 legal scholars and lawyers wrote to her condemning the proposed measures. They said:
Even though the police in England and Wales have ample powers under the Public Order Act 1986 to regulate protests, successive governments in recent years have systematically eviscerated the right to protest to curtail the activities of climate justice, racial justice and anti-genocide protesters.
Members of Parliament are also voicing strong concerns that the government is attempting to rush through these far-reaching changes without sufficient democratic scrutiny and debate in the House of Commons.
Palestine Protests Triggered Government Action
Although government statements make clear these powers have been brought forward in response to the mass national marches for Palestinian rights since October 2023, the impact of this change of law would be wide-ranging on protest groups in general.
Effective protests often recur in the same or similar places, and no protest movement has ever brought about change through a one-off demonstration.
Landmark democratic struggles, such as the campaign for women’s suffrage and the movement against apartheid in South Africa, all relied on the ‘cumulative’ impact of repeated protests over many years.
Ben Jamal, Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said:
Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip – two years of live-streamed atrocities – have caused public outrage at the British government’s complicity, including the export of weapons and military and political support for Israel.
That fuels the large public protests that continue to take place through the participation of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people across the country.
Instead of addressing its responsibilities under international law and addressing the core demands of the protestors, which are supported according to opinion polls by a majority of the British public, successive Governments have instead sought to repress protest through ever more draconian laws.
The right to protest – including in solidarity with the Palestinian people or in opposition to the policies and actions of the British government – is a precious democratic principle that is under the gravest threat and must be defended.
Lyle Barker, Liberty policy and campaigns officer, said:
Protest is a vital part of democracy and is how we can all make our voices heard on the issues that matter to us. But successive governments have made it harder and riskier for people to exercise the right to protest and stand up for what they believe in – with more and more restrictions intended to strip away the very things that make protests successful.
The Government must stop introducing new anti-protest powers until the review of current laws has taken place – and instead work to protect our basic human right to make our voices heard when those in power refuse to listen.
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC said:
Restrictions on the right to protest are a major concern for the trade union movement in this country. With the far right on the rise in the UK and across the globe, we must be extra vigilant in defending basic human rights and democratic norms.
The Full Statement
As a group of civil society organisations made up of trade unions, charities, NGOs, faith, climate justice, human rights, cultural, campaigning, and solidarity organisations, we believe that the right to protest is precious and should be defended. We therefore oppose the government’s draconian crackdown on our rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
The government has introduced an extreme proposal to give police new powers to restrict protests based on their so-called ‘cumulative disruption’. If this becomes law, the police in England and Wales will be required to consider any past protests or planned future protests in the same ‘area’ when deciding whether to impose restrictions. The size of an ‘area’ is not specified, and police are not required to take into account whether the protests are for the same cause or involve the same people.
Although government statements make clear these powers have been brought forward in response to the mass national marches for Palestinian rights, the impact of this change of law would be wide-ranging. An anti-racist march could be blocked from Whitehall because of a previous farmers’ protest, or a pride march restricted because a far-right demonstration was recently held in the same town.
Effective protests often recur in the same or similar places, for example, a seat of power like Westminster or Downing Street. No protest movement has ever brought about change through a single demonstration. Britain’s democratic system itself is the outcome of successive waves of protest – the civil rights movement, the campaign for women’s suffrage and the movement against apartheid in South Africa all relied on the ‘cumulative’ impact of repeated protests over many years.
Clamping down on peaceful protests will not protect anyone’s rights or safety, and we reject cynical attempts by government to present this repressive proposal as protection for vulnerable groups. These measures could be used by this, or any future government, to effectively stamp out political demonstrations, actions linked to industrial disputes and protests altogether.
The right to protest must be defended. We call on the British government to immediately drop its dangerous proposal and repeal the succession of anti-protest laws on which it builds.
Supporting organisations include:
Amnesty International UK
Artists for Palestine UK
Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF)
Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU)
British Committee for the Universities of Palestine
British Palestinian Committee
British Society for Middle Eastern Studies
Campaign Against Arms Trade
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Climate Justice Coalition
Communication Workers Union (CWU)
Equity
European Legal Support Centre
Fire Brigades Union (FBU)
Friends of Al-Aqsa
Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU)
Global Justice Now
Greenpeace
INQUEST
Institute of Race Relations
International Centre of Justice for Palestinians
Jewish Voice for Liberation
Labour & Palestine
Liberty
Migrants Organise
Musicians’ Union
Muslim Association of Britain
Na’amod
National Education Union (NEU)
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)
Network for Police Monitoring
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Palestinian Forum in Britain
Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
Quakers in Britain
Queers For Palestine
Sabeel-Kairos UK
Shadow World Investigations
Stop the War Coalition
The People’s Tribunal on Police Killings
Trades Union Congress (TUC)
Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA)
UNISON
University and College Union (UCU)
War on Want
