The UK Public Order Act, which was first laid before the UK Parliament on 11th May 2022 and received Royal Assent on 2nd May 2023, seeks to protect both the public and businesses from disruption caused by a minority of protestors.
The ordinary man or woman in the street agree with the right to protest and protecting free speech.
However, most people would also agree that a balance needs to be struck between the freedom to protest and the freedom of individuals to go about their daily lives.
Does the Counsel General and the Labour Welsh Government therefore not agree that people rightly expect the police to step in to maintain public order?
Does the Counsel General and the Labour Welsh Government not agree that intervention is required when criminal damage and extreme behavior disrupts the lives of others, especially when this includes, for example, commuters and ambulances on public roads being blocked, and people not being able to take children to school or get to work?
Does the Counsel General and the Labour Welsh Government not agree that there is a need to clearly define ‘serious disruption’ as requested by police chiefs, empowering police to intervene against highly disruptive tactics used to block roads and cause chaos?
This is regardless of the merits or otherwise of the issues being protested about, even when some of these propose actions which could lead to harm or death for millions of people.
Offences created by the Act include :
- the tactic of individuals attaching themselves – or locking on - to other people, objects or buildings
- Certain behavior which obstructs and/or interferes with the construction or maintenance of major transport projects
- behaviour that prevents, or significantly delays, the operation of key infrastructure, including downstream oil and gas infrastructure, railways, airports and printing presses.
- And contempt of court in relation to committing a protest related breach of an injunction
If the Counsel General and the Welsh Government object to these measures, how will they justify this to the public at large?
Amongst other measures, the Act also extends the powers to manage public assemblies to the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police; and introduces abortion clinic safe access zones.
Again, if the Counsel General and the Welsh Government object to these measures, how will they justify this to the Public at large?
The Counsel General has repeatedly called for devolution of Justice and Policing, and will no doubt call/has called for Public Order to be included within this.
Will he therefore recognise the factual reality:
- that most people in Wales live a short travelling distance from the invisible border with the part of Britain called England;
- that the most populated regions crossing a national border within the UK lie along this border;
- that Public Order, just like Policing and Justice, operates on an East/West axis across this border;
- that cross-border solutions are therefore required
- And that these could not be delivered if these matters were devolved to Wales.
Further, and finally, does the Counsel General recognise that to devolve or not to devolve is not about the transient policies and personalities of different Governments at a particular point in time, where both the policies of Parties, and the Policies, personalities and Parties of Government in any Geographical area, change over time?