SNP to 'consider' UK Government plans to allow police to restrict protests

In England and Wales police will be given greater powers to restrict protests by allowing them to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated demonstrations.

The measures follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations including at Edinburgh and Glasgow railway stations on Thursday.

The Scottish Government said it had “not yet seen details” of the proposals but would “consider their relevance to Scotland.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The right to peaceful public assembly and freedom of expression are important rights that the Scottish Government is committed to upholding. The right to peaceful public assembly and expression should never justify hateful, violent, intimidating or criminal behaviour.

“Police Scotland has powers under the Public Order Act 1986 to maintain public safety and order. We have not yet seen details of the UK Government's proposals and will consider their relevance to Scotland when we have further information.”

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said repeated large-scale protests had caused “considerable fear” for the Jewish community.

The Government will amend Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 to explicitly allow the police to take account of the cumulative impact of frequent protests on local areas in order to impose conditions on public processions and assemblies.

The Home Secretary will also review existing legislation to ensure powers are sufficient and are being applied consistently by police forces – this will include powers to ban protests outright.

The Home Office confirmed the measures will not apply to Scotland because policing and justice are devolved.

Ms Mahmood said: “The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country.

“However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear.

“Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.

“This has been particularly evident in relation to the considerable fear within the Jewish community, which has been expressed to me on many occasions in these recent difficult days.

“These changes mark an important step in ensuring we protect the right to protest while ensuring all feel safe in this country.”

There is currently a high bar restricting police’s ability to ban a march entirely. It requires a risk of “serious public disorder”.

Under the changes being proposed, if a protest has taken place at the same site for weeks on end and caused repeated disorder, the police will have the authority to impose conditions such as ordering organisers to hold the event somewhere else.

Anyone who breaches the conditions will risk arrest and prosecution.

The protests at Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central at rush hour on Thursday were in response to Israel detaining activists carrying aid to Gaza by sea.

Four Scots were among those detained.

But they also happened just hours after an attack at a synagogue in Manchester where two people were killed.

This led to calls for other protests to be cancelled on Saturday, but some still went ahead. This included a demonstration in London where nearly 500 people were arrested.