The Daily Mail has cited unnamed government sources as saying that the environmentalist movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) could be classified as an "organised crime group", as part of a clampdown on XR's activities.
The sources confirmed that British Home Secretary Priti Patel currently wants to take a "fresh look" at how the climate change group is designated in light of the latest developments which saw XR protesters targeting printworks used by News Corp UK, publisher of The Times and The Sun.
The government's additional proposals reportedly include giving Parliament, courts, and the press a special status "in regard to the key role they play in democracy". The proposals also stipulate providing police with beefed-up powers to prevent XR demonstrators from entering designated areas.
"It would be illegal to stop MPs going to vote or judges getting to court and it [the proposals] would also protect a free press", the sources said.
XR's Blockade of UK Printworks
The remarks come after more than 100 XR protesters on Friday blocked roads outside three printworks in England and Scotland, used by The Times, The Sun, The Telegraph, and the Daily Mail, all conservative-leaning titles with a combined daily circulation of about 3 million copies.
Some of the demonstrators locked themselves to delivery vehicles, claiming that they were "using disruption to expose the failure of these corporations to accurately report on the climate and ecological emergency". At least 30 XR activists were detained by police during the event.
UK Home Secretary Patel Slams XR Protests
Priti Patel reacted angrily to the protests, slamming XR's blockade of the printworks as "an attack on our free press, society, and democracy".
She was echoed by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who described a free press in a tweet as something that is "vital in holding the government and other powerful institutions to account on issues critical for the future of our country, including the fight against climate change".
"It is completely unacceptable to seek to limit the public's access to news in this way", Johnson underscored.
XR's Friday protests followed its sit-in demonstration at Parliament Square in London which the group said was aimed at pressing lawmakers and the government to take direct action on climate change. The demonstration came as the environmentalist group began two weeks of disruption across the UK.
XR, whose protests last year brought central London to a standstill for several days, has not been on the streets for the past five months due to the COVID-19 lockdown.