Quakers welcome Court of Appeal ruling on anti-protest laws
Quakers have welcomed a court ruling that the UK Government broke the law when it gave police extra powers to restrict protests that caused “more than minor" disruption.
Quakers have been hit hard by these laws as their faith leads them to take peaceful action to protect the environment.
The Court of Appeal decision, made on 2 May, confirmed an earlier High Court ruling that former Home Secretary Suella Braverman should not have changed the law using 'Henry VIII powers' that involve less parliamentary scrutiny.
Judges said the government went too far by trying to lower the threshold for police to place conditions on protests.
“This is a victory for democracy and the right to protest, which has been affecting many Quakers who feel compelled to take action from a position of faith" said Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain.
“We call on the Government not only to scrap this legislation but to urgently review every arrest made under it."
Human rights group Liberty had challenged the previous government's use of secondary legislation in 2023 to change protest laws, after similar plans had already been rejected in Parliament. The current government continued the appeal.
The three appeal judges said the law clearly referred to “serious disruption", which could not be stretched to mean anything just “more than minor".
Liberty said the case was an important reminder that ministers must follow parliamentary procedure and shouldn't bypass it to suit themselves.
Some Quakers have already been arrested or convicted under the overturned rules and lawyers said they would be reviewing affected cases and may appeal.
UN investigates
The ruling comes as the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, Michel Forst, collects evidence of the UK's policing of climate protesters.
Quakers recently attended a meeting with Michel Forst to speak about their experiences of environmental activism under the current restrictive UK protest laws.
The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) has also raised concerns with UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor for her report to the UN General Assembly on human rights defenders working on climate change and a just transition.
In their submission QUNO profiled six cases of Quakers closely involved in climate action and the just transition including Phil Laurie and Gaie Delap.
“Five of the six cases originate in the UK, where the right to protest has rapidly eroded despite rulings of illegality," they said.