Is our right to protest under threat, asks Ruth Brander
In the fifth of a series of articles specially commissioned to mark the 75th anniversary of Atkin’s Court Forms, Ruth Brander, a barrister & contributor to Atkin’s Court Forms, considers recent cases on the law of protest.
Britain’s summer in the spotlight has been hailed as a triumph, with both the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Olympic and Paralympic Games passing off “trouble-free”. But what has been the cost in terms of freedom of expression and the right to protest?
As Danny Boyle’s Olympic opening ceremony celebrated Britain’s traditions of diversity, innovation, creativity and humour, outside the stadium, 182 cyclists were being kettled and then arrested for participating in “Critical Mass”—a monthly mass cycle ride through central London, open to all, and with no pre-determined route. On the evening of 27 July 2012, despite Critical Mass having taken place monthly since 1994 without significant threat to public order, the Metropolitan Police sought to impose conditions under s 12 of the Public Order Act 1986 in order “to prevent serious disruption to the
