Ex-police chief says people should be ‘really worried’ about new anti-protest laws

The former Chief Constable labels new anti-protest laws as "rushed" and "dodgy"

An ex-police chief for the Greater Manchester Police spoke to Times Radio on Monday regarding the recently proposed, 307-page bill that, effectively, cracks down on people's right to protest. Sir Peter Fahy, who served the police force for 34 years, was quick to point out that "the right to protest, the right to gather, the right to have a voice is fundamental to our democracy". Here's an extended clip of his interview: https://twitter.com/TimesRadio/status/1371415577705787392?s=20 It isn't a stretch to call this bill what it is: an extremely draconian piece of legislation that provides the government and police with loosely defined guidelines for breaking up protests based not just on conduct, but numbers and even noise levels. Put simply, if a peaceful sit-in is deemed too loud, it can be dispersed. Despite having abstained from opposing legislature that essentially exempted law enforcement from being prosecuted for criminal acts like torture, rape and murder last year, Keir Starmer's Labour is set to vote against the bill in the Commons today. It all feels too little too late, unfortunately. The latest revisions on the Police and Crime Bill come after what can and should only be described as a vigil turned peaceful protest following the death of Sarah Everard. Police cancelled the official vigil in Clapham and went on to interfere with a peaceful demonstration that ended in five arrests. It was a damning indictment of the current state of policing and priorities in the UK, followed by an even less tactful government proposal.