Right to protest in England and Wales is under pressure, reports say

Human Rights Watch and Justice say recent laws in England and Wales have chilled lawful protest and call for repeal; the Home Office has announced an independent review of public order legislation.

Human Rights Watch and the cross-party organisation Justice published simultaneous reports warning that recent legal changes in England and Wales have reduced the scope for lawful protest and created a chilling effect. They point to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023 as key moments that reshaped the legal approach to demonstrations. The organisations also highlighted several recent enforcement and sentencing examples to illustrate how the laws are being applied and the concerns those applications have raised. What the reports state: - Human Rights Watch and Justice say the recent legislative changes have chilled lawful protest and call for those provisions to be repealed. - The reports identify the 2022 and 2023 public order laws as watershed moments that criminalised conduct previously regarded as lawful and emphasised preemptive containment. - The Home Office has announced an independent review of existing public order legislation, which the government says will assess police powers and their balance with the right to lawful protest. Summary: The reports describe a shift toward stronger state controls over demonstrations and argue that this has had a chilling effect on peaceful dissent. The Home Office review is the next stated procedural step; outcomes and any legislative changes are undetermined at this time.