Protesters who assault police, vandalise property or cause criminal damage could face swift justice in just 24 hours, under new plans being brought forward by the government.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and Home Secretary Priti Patel have drawn up new plans, based on the response to the 2011 London riots, urging magistrates’ courts to extend opening hours and fast-track any cases relating to protests.
One of Britain’s most senior police officers echoed the words of a government scientific advisor yesterday by warning the country could face a summer of riots.
Dozens of officers were injured at the weekend after Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with police in London. The government is bringing in new measures to make sure anyone not protesting peacefully will have their court cases fast-tracked
Protesters stuck a Black Lives Matter sign on a statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London on Sunday, before writing ‘was a racist’ underneath his name
Job losses from the coronavirus pandemic and growing tension between far-right groups and anti-racism campaigners could lead to a ‘challenging period in relation to violence and disorder’, Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council told The Times.
Concerns have been raised that far-right demonstrators could clash with anti-racsism protesters as they try to ‘defend’ memorials facing calls to be removed.
Scaffolding and boards were erected around the Cenotaph and Winston Churchill statue in Westminster on Thursday evening, following the monuments being vandalised during previous protests.
After consecutive weekends of BLM demonstrations, far-right group the Democratic Football Lads Alliance has called on supporters to travel to London to protect monuments.
Far-right figure Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has also expressed his support.
The news comes as the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement continues to be felt across the country with the removal of a string of monuments and statues.
Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, warned police could face a ‘challenging period in relation to violence and disorder,’
Scaffolding has been set up at monuments in London targeted by vandals in recent days. On Sunday the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was defaced with the words ‘was a racist’ written underneath
Protesters gathered in Green Park, London, on Wednesday and obeyed social distancing rules as they expressed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter group
However a Black lives Matter demonstration set to take place in Hyde Park on Saturday appears to have been called off.
Organisers said it had been called amid warnings that ‘many hate groups,’ planned to attend. According to The Times, a post from BLM LDN read: ‘We want the protests to be a safe space for people to attend.’
Professor Clifford Stott — a member of Number 10’s SAGE panel — said that urgent efforts are needed by police forces to quell any potential unrest in the local areas they serve and called for more ‘bobbies on the beat’.
He told PA: ‘If the police don’t invest in building positive police-community relations now, there is a potential for serious and large public disorder to emerge this summer.
‘I think in the worst case scenario it’s not inconceivable that we could have disorder on a scale equivalent to August 2011.
‘What we need to do is to make sure we start addressing the underlying causes now, so the conditions that led to the 2011 riots are not in place should we get a precipitating incident.
‘Put simply, the most effective thing that the police can do is put bobbies on the beat.’
On Thursday evening, a Bristol tower block sign bearing the name of a slave trader was removed is the latest in a string of monuments and statues being pulled down across the country.
On Thursday, Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London announced it will remove two statues of their namesakes from public view due to their links to the slave trade.
Locals have set up around a statue of Robert Baden-Powell in Dorset after the local council suggested it would take it down
Elsewhere, a video circulating online showed men in hard hats scaling Colston Tower in Bristol city centre and removing the controversial figure’s name from atop the high-rise building.
Hours earlier, Colston’s statue was fished out of Bristol harbour after being pulled down and dumped into the water during an anti-racism demonstration on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has delayed plans to temporarily remove a statue of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell after angry residents vowed to fight to protect it.
The council had originally said it would move the statue from Poole Quay on Thursday over concerns it was on a target list compiled by anti-racism activists.
Campaigners have focused in on Lord Baden-Powell due to his associations with the Nazis and the Hitler Youth programme, as well as his actions in the military.
The statue features on a ‘topple the racists’ website which lists more than 60 statues and memorials across the UK which they argue should be taken down, because they ‘celebrate slavery and racism’.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the council said the listing ‘placed the much-loved statue at risk of damage or even destruction’.
It added: ‘We know that local people feel proud of Lord Baden-Powell’s and the Scout movement’s links with Poole, and that some people feel that we would be giving in to the protesters by temporarily removing the statue.
‘However, we feel it is responsible to protect it for future generations to enjoy and respect.’