On Tuesday 3rd November, The Times reported that the Home Secretary has reportedly prohibited all protests involving more than two people during the lockdown.
According to the newspaper, Priti Patel has briefed chief constables stating that they would be expected to enforce the rules even as some senior police officers are believed to be concerned of the “draconian” measures. This however, means that all demonstrations which were allowed to go forward under certain conditions despite the pandemic, would now be removed. There were complaints from some members of the public during the first lockdown that they had been prevented from seeing their families while thousands of people were allowed to march on the streets together especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a statement to The Times, a Home Office spokesman said, “The right to peaceful protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. In these unprecedented circumstances, any gathering risks spreading the disease, leading to more deaths, so it is vital we all play our part in controlling the virus. People must follow the rules on meeting with others, which apply to all gatherings and therefore protests too.”
