LONDON: Britain’s human rights watchdog has urged ministers and police chiefs to avoid “heavy-handed” tactics when policing demonstrations over the war in Gaza, saying that such actions risk creating a “chilling effect” on the right to protest, it was reported on Friday.
In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, the Equality and Human Rights Commission chairwoman Baroness Kishwer Falkner said the “right to protest is a cornerstone of any healthy democracy” and any interference “must be lawful and assessed case by case.”
Her intervention follows reports of individuals facing police action at recent demonstrations despite not expressing support for any banned organizations.
The EHRC cited the case of Laura Murton, who in July was threatened with arrest under the Terrorism Act by Kent Police in July for holding a Palestinian flag and signs reading “Free Gaza” and “Israel is committing genocide” during a demonstration in Canterbury.
Murton told officers she did not support any proscribed groups but was reportedly warned that her actions were linked to Palestine Action — which in July was banned by the government.
