LONDON (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters joined protesters across Britain on Saturday against a proposed law that would give police additional powers to curb protests, with some fighting following a march in London.
The bill on police, crime, sentencing and courts aims to tighten measures that officers can take to disperse protests, such as imposing time and noise limits, which militants and activists fear will be used to curb dissent.
“Kill the bill” marches were held in dozens of towns and cities, supported by large campaign groups such as climate change advocates Extinction Rebellion and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Almost all died peacefully, but there were minor clashes in central London between protesters and police after a rally attended by several thousand people.
“The police operation in central London has now moved to the application phase and arrests are being made,” the London Metropolitan Police said on Twitter. The force deployed a large number of officers in the capital to end the protest.
The new bill follows the actions of the Extinction Rebellion that paralyzed parts of London in early 2019 and fueled calls from some politicians to give tougher powers to police to avoid excessive disruption.
Since the bill was tabled in parliament last month, there have been sporadic demonstrations across the country, with Saturday rallies being part of what organizers said was a weekend of national action.
“(I’m here) to stand up for the rights of freedom of expression and the rights of our society’s organizations,” said Jeremy Corbyn, a former leader of the opposition Labor Party, who was one of those involved in the London protest.
“These demonstrations, 50 of them today, will make a difference,” he told Reuters before the Houses of Parliament.
Much of the protest has so far been concentrated in the southwestern English city of Bristol, where some demonstrations have turned violent with officers bombarded with missiles and police vehicles set on fire, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson called of “shameful” attacks.
On Saturday evening a large crowd met again in Bristol, though the concentration was peaceful.
Some senior officials have said the “kill the bill” label was deliberately provocative, as “the bill” is a nickname for police in Britain.
Report by Guy Faulkonbridge Written by Michael Holden Edited by Frances Kerry and David Holmes