Yvette Cooper

A proposed new law, which has sparked protests and clashes, is reaching its final stages in Parliament.

The Police , Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is that includes major government proposals on crime and justice in England and Wales. One part of it covers changes to protests.

If The Police want to place restrictions on a protest, they generally have to show it May Result in " serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to The Life of the community".

They can also impose specific measures on the routes of marches.

When It Comes to major events, details are typically thrashed out with the organisers weeks in advance.

Police chiefs will be able to put more conditions on static protests, such as those where roads and bridges were occupied.

They will be able to:

Taken to an extreme, let's say there's an individual holding a protest placard, while blasting out their views on a speaker.

If they refuse to follow police directions over how they should conduct their protest, they could be fined up to £2,500.

It will also become A Crime to fail to follow restrictions the protesters " ought" to have known About , even if they have not received a direct order from an officer.

At present, police need to prove protesters knew they had been told to move on, before they can be said to have broken The Law .

The proposed law includes an offence of " intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance".

This is designed to stop people occupying public spaces, hanging off bridges, gluing themselves to windows, or employing other protest tactics to make themselves both seen and heard.

In October, the government proposed, including tougher penalties for protests on motorways after The Campaign group Insulate Britain.

One final measure clarifies that damage to memorials could lead to up to 10 Years in prison. This follows the in Bristol.

The Right to protest and express yourself is enshrined in the Human Rights Act. Police commanders have to show they have taken this into account.

But that right is not absolute. Protests can be limited by police if they believe they have good reason to impose restrictions on an event to ensure public safety, or to prevent crime.

The Home Office insists its proposals will respect Human Rights .

But The Problem is the history of public protest is littered with long and complex legal battles over whether police have used their powers properly.

One of The Most important cases - About The Police 's power to contain a crowd for an indefinite period - to reach the conclusion that the tactic was lawful.

The Labour Party opposes the protest measures.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the legislation has been " rushed" and will create " incredibly widely drawn" powers, " for example, allowing The Police to stop and search anyone in the vicinity of a protest, including passers-by, people on The Way to work and peaceful protesters".

Rights of Women, a campaign group, says The Bill that could reduce violence against women and girls, such as providing more support in communities.

However, the government says that other parts of the legislation toughen sentencing for serious violent and sexual offences and introduce new police bail rules for suspects under investigation.

The Bill will also place a legal duty on police and local authorities to come up with a joint action plan to tackle serious violence.

Source of news: bbc.com