Just Stop Oil march in Northampton shut down by police in crackdown
A Just Stop Oil march in Northampton[1] was shut down by police using anti-protest laws. Approximately 20 protestors took to Wellingborough Road on Saturday (June 24).
However, it was "abruptly shutdown" according to the group by Northamptonshire Police[2] officers. The protesters were marching against the issuing of new oil and gas licences by the UK Government.
Police warned protestors that a Section 12 Public Order notice would be issued before they even entered the road, making use of newly passed anti-protest legislation.
The notice was issued prior to any disruption being caused but activists "entered the road anyway". They were only able to march two hundred metres before police blocked their path and threatened them with arrest.
At this, point the marchers left the road but argued that the newly introduced public order legislation is a "draconian infringement" on the right to protest. However, Northamptonshire Police said it "respects the right of the public to engage in peaceful protest".
Chief Inspector Pete Basham of West Local Policing Area added: “However, we must balance this to ensure it doesn’t disrupt the local community and businesses. Just Stop Oil planned to stage an hour-long slow march in front of traffic on Wellingborough Road in Northampton, which would have had a huge impact on other road users and would have gridlocked the town’s road network.
“Prior to the procession, a directive under Section 12 of the Public Order Act was imposed which stated they couldn’t march on the road in front of traffic. All participants followed these instructions, and the procession went ahead on the footpath, finishing at Abington Square. There were no arrests.”
Volker Turk, the UN Human Rights Chief, previously described the anti-protest measures contained within the newly passed Public Order Act as “deeply troubling”. A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil claimed Northamptonshire Police’s actions were “a clear infringement of the democratic right to protest”.
They went on to state that “the right to protest has never been more important given the existential threat posed to civilisation by the climate crisis” and criticised Northamptonshire Police’s approach as “heavy-handed”. The purpose of the march was to highlight the deadly effects of issuing new oil and gas licences.
References
- ^ Northampton (www.northantslive.news)
- ^ Northamptonshire Police (www.northantslive.news)
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