UK Muslim Council Urges Parliament Upper House to Reject Policing Bill

© AFP 2023 / CHRIS YOUNGAn unidentified senior Muslim Cleric leaves the Regent's Park Mosque in London after attending a meeting called by the Muslim Council of Britain 07 July 2007.
An unidentified senior Muslim Cleric leaves the Regent's Park Mosque in London after attending a meeting called by the Muslim Council of Britain 07 July 2007. - Sputnik International, 1920, 17.01.2022
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LONDON (Sputnik) – The Muslim Council of Britain has urged the Parliament's House of Lords to reject government amendments to a controversial policing bill, which campaigners say would give police new powers to clamp down on demonstrators.
“The MCB calls upon members of the House of Lords to reject Part 3 of the bill in its entirety, as well as other measures which infringe upon the right to protest,” the largest Muslim organisation in the UK said in a statement.
Some sections of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill grant police the power to ban demonstrations that they consider to be “seriously disruptive,” including those deemed too noisy, and impose specific measures on the routes of marches.
If passed, the legislation would give law enforcement officers more stop and search powers and allow judges to pass sentences of up to 10 years in prison on people found guilty of damaging memorials or statues.
Police officers restrain demonstrators during a protest in London, Britain, April 3, 2021. REUTERS/Toby Melville  - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.04.2021
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It also targets the Gypsy, Roma and traveler communities, as they could be criminalised by measures against residing on land without authorisation.
“The new measures in this bill expand police powers and make a draconian bill even more restrictive, further eroding our civil liberties. Furthermore, these measures will exacerbate pre-existing disparities in policing and the criminal justice system. This toxic legislation must be opposed,” MCB secretary-general Zara Mohammed was quoted as saying.
The bill will undergo its final examination by the Parliament´s upper chamber later on Monday before returning to the House of Commons.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the UK to demand respect for their right to protest as part of the Kill the Bill campaign.
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