Government to expand police powers over repeat protests amid rising tensions

Shiva K Dhakal
National Press Corporation(NPC)
United Kingdom-The UK government has announced plans to expand police powers to impose conditions on repeated demonstrations, following a weekend of mass arrests linked to pro-Palestine protests.

Under the new measures, senior officers will be able to consider the “cumulative impact” of previous protests when deciding whether to restrict or relocate future events. The Home Office says the changes aim to prevent disruption and protect communities that feel threatened by ongoing demonstrations.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the BBC the move is “not a ban on protests” but a means of ensuring “restrictions and conditions” are in place where necessary.

“The right to protest is fundamental, but this freedom must be balanced with the right of others to live their lives without fear,” Mahmood said, adding that some religious communities — particularly Jewish groups — have recently felt “unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.”

The announcement follows the arrest of nearly 500 protesters on Saturday, most detained on suspicion of supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action. Organisers, Defend Our Juries, said the new rules represent “an authoritarian crackdown on free speech and assembly.”

Mahmood also addressed growing community tensions after last week’s Manchester synagogue attack, which left two men dead. She said she understood the anger within the Jewish community and promised the government’s response would “meet the scale of the challenge.”

Political reaction and criticism

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch welcomed the new powers but questioned why it had taken so long to act, saying:

“We believe in free speech — but not when it’s used to intimidate or incite hatred.”

Speaking later at the Tory Party Conference in Manchester, Badenoch warned that extremism in the UK had “gone unchecked for too long” and vowed that British streets “must not become a theatre for intimidation.”

Human rights group Amnesty International criticised the move, saying it “reheats” an earlier Conservative proposal deemed unlawful by the courts. Amnesty’s UK law and human rights director Tom Southerden argued the plan fails to address hate crimes while undermining peaceful protest rights.

Wider context

The Home Office confirmed that the new powers will be introduced as soon as possible, and that a review of current protest laws is underway to ensure consistency across police forces.

The government said the review would also examine whether to extend existing powers to allow full protest bans under certain conditions.

Police across the country have been on heightened alert, providing extra protection to synagogues and Jewish community centres following the Manchester attack. The Home Secretary has written to chief constables, urging them to use “all available powers” to maintain order and protect vulnerable communities.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the government’s announcement, describing some recent protests as “deeply irresponsible and offensive.”

However, civil liberties advocates say the move risks eroding one of Britain’s most cherished democratic rights — the right to peaceful protest.