Emma Smart

Breaking: CEO of Anglian Water Citizen’s Arrested outside Coulsdon South station as group of women stop Mark Thurston on route to work. The group have evidence he may be committing crimes of public nuisance and have been surrounding him for an hour this AM waiting for police.

NEW: Police forces will be granted new powers to put conditions on repeat protests, Shabana Mahmood says.   The new powers, to be brought in asap, will allow senior officers to consider ‘cumulative impact’ of previous protests - and move them elsewhere. Home Secretary will also review existing legislation to ensure that powers are sufficient and being consistently applied.

NEW: Police forces will be granted new powers to put conditions on repeat protests, Shabana Mahmood says.   The new powers, to be brought in asap, will allow senior officers to consider ‘cumulative impact’ of previous protests - and move them elsewhere. Home Secretary will also review existing legislation to ensure that powers are sufficient and being consistently applied.

The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London. Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation. By choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. We urge them to do the responsible thing and delay or cancel their plans.

BREAKING: Over a thousand people gather in Trafalgar Square to oppose genocide and the Palestine Action ban. Police have already started arresting peaceful protestors under the Terrorism Act for silently holding signs which say "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action"

🚨BREAKING: Hundreds arrested in Parliament Square for peaceful protest against ban of Palestine Action When the Government is arresting people under terrorism laws for sitting peacefully in protest, something is going very wrong here in the UK. Peaceful protest is a fundamental right. People are understandably outraged by the ongoing genocide being committed in Gaza and are entitled under international human rights law to express their horror. Amnesty has long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad, vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. Today's response only further demonstrates that our concerns were justified. Any restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be lawful, necessary and proportionate to achieving a legitimate aim. Criminalising speech in this context is only permitted when it incites violence or advocates hatred. Expressing support for Palestine Action does not, in itself, meet this threshold.

A picture paints a thousand words.