UK rights watchdog warns against ‘heavy-handed’ policing of Gaza protests | Protest

The UK’s official human rights watchdog has written to the federal government and police expressing concern at a doubtlessly “heavy-handed” strategy to protests about Gaza and urging clearer steerage for officers in imposing the regulation.Within the letter to Yvette Cooper, the house secretary, and Mark Rowley, the pinnacle of the Metropolitan police, the Equality and Human Rights Fee (EHRC) stated the notion that peaceable protest might appeal to disproportionate police consideration “undermines confidence in our human rights protections”.Whereas a lot of the latest focus has been about arrests of individuals accused of expressing help for Palestine Motion, not too long ago proscribed as a terrorist group, the main focus of the EHRC letter is on individuals who have confronted police problem for demonstrating extra usually concerning the state of affairs in Gaza.It cited for example the case of Laura Murton, who was threatened with arrest beneath the Terrorism Act by Kent police for holding a Palestinian flag and having indicators saying “Free Gaza” and “Israel is committing genocide”.Within the encounter, first reported by the Guardian, Murton filmed police telling her that even such basic statements “all come beneath proscribed teams, that are terror teams which were dictated by the federal government”.In his letter, Kishwer Falkner, the EHRC chair, wrote: “While we acknowledge police experience in assessing safety dangers, we need to emphasise that any interference with protest rights should be lawful and assessed case by case.“Heavy-handed policing or blanket approaches danger making a chilling impact, deterring residents from exercising their basic rights to freedom of expression and meeting by way of worry of potential penalties.”The letter added: “This concern extends past these straight affected by police engagement to the broader well being of our democracy, as a result of the notion that peaceable protest could appeal to disproportionate police consideration undermines confidence in our human rights protections.”Falkner urged ministers and police to verify all officers got “clear and constant steerage on their human rights obligations in relation to protest”, which ought to “make sure that the suitable stability is maintained between public security and the safety of important human rights”.Final week Murton advised the Guardian that her solicitors had issued a letter of declare on her behalf to the chief constable of Kent police, in what was additionally stated to be a transfer to remind different police forces of their tasks in direction of peaceable protests.Falkner stated in an announcement: “The appropriate to peaceable protest is prime to our democracy and should be protected even when coping with complicated and delicate points.“We recognise the real challenges the police face in sustaining public security, however we’re involved that some latest responses could not strike the best stability between safety and basic rights.“Our function because the nationwide human rights establishment is to uphold the legal guidelines that safeguard everybody’s proper to equity, dignity and respect. After we see reviews of individuals being questioned or prevented from peaceable protests that don’t help proscribed organisations, now we have an obligation to talk out.”The warning comes within the context of wider police operations focusing on protesters who, not like Murton, straight categorical help for Palestine Motion, which is illegitimate given the group’s banned standing.Greater than 500 individuals have been arrested in London final Saturday, nearly all for displaying placards or indicators allegedly supportive of Palestine Motion. Half of these arrested have been aged 60 or above, in keeping with police figures.Downing Road has justified the ban on Palestine Motion by saying it’s “a violent organisation that has dedicated violence, important harm, intensive prison harm”, an outline considered one of its co-founders has stated is fake and defamatory.