The UK government is preparing to give police greater authority to restrict protests that repeatedly disrupt public life, following a weekend of mass arrests in London. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans to tighten legislation after nearly 500 demonstrators were arrested at Trafalgar Square, where pro-Palestinian activists gathered despite calls to postpone the demonstrations. The move comes amid mounting concern over repeated protests by supporters of the banned group Palestine Action, which authorities say have caused escalating disruption across the capital.
Mahmood told Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that the new measures would allow officers to impose conditions based on cumulative disruption. “The frequency of particular protests in particular places is, in and of itself, a reason for the police to be able to restrict and place conditions,” she said. “That is to say, they can move them to a different place, they can restrict the time that those protests can occur, so that will unlock all of the broader measures that the police can already do on protests.”
The Home Secretary also explained on Times Radio that she intends to amend sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act to make cumulative disruption a formal factor in determining police conditions on protests. Mahmood emphasized that the challenge was balancing the right to protest with the need for communities to conduct their daily lives without fear or intimidation. She added that a full review of all protest-related provisions is underway to ensure the law can respond to repeated public disturbances.
The proposal has received backing from Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that while the government supports free speech, protests cannot be used as a cover for intimidation or incitement to violence. “We believe in free speech, but that has to be within the bounds of the law. If people are using protest to intimidate, if they’re using protest to incite violence, then no, it’s not protest,” she said, questioning why such measures had not been implemented sooner.
The announcement follows a dramatic weekend deployment in London, where the Metropolitan Police sent 1,500 officers to control demonstrations in Trafalgar Square. The protests, which included banners condemning Israeli actions in Gaza, were described by The Times UK as some of the most disruptive in recent memory. The government’s move to expand police powers reflects growing concern that repeated demonstrations, even when initially lawful, can escalate into significant public disorder, prompting calls for urgent reform of existing protest legislation.
