Police accused of ‘assault on right to protest’ after less than 3% of nuisance arrests result in charges
Greenpeace accuses police of ‘abuse of powers’ over protest arrests
- New research indicates that less than three per cent of all protest arrests by the Metropolitan Police result in charges, leading campaigners to call for an end to anti-protest measures.
- Data obtained by Greenpeace reveals that the Metropolitan Police made 638 arrests for conspiracy to cause public nuisance over the past six years, with only 18 of these resulting in charges.
- Greenpeace UK's co-executive director, Areeba Hamid, criticised police for routinely arresting protesters for crimes they rarely charge them with, describing it as an “abuse of their powers and an assault on the right to protest”.
- The sharp increase in protest arrests since 2019 coincides with major climate demonstrations and the implementation of new anti-protest legislation, such as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
- A Met Police spokesperson said the police recognise the importance of the right to protest, but “where protest crosses the line into criminality, we have a duty to intervene using the powers available to us”.