Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set out plans for a police crackdown on protests that cause “alarm or distress” at venues including parliament, as the government sought to toughen its approach to pro-Palestinian demonstrators following Israel’s war against Hamas.
A new protocol agreed between Downing Street and police forces on Wednesday stipulates that protests at MPs’ offices, as well as democratic venues such as parliament and town halls, should not be allowed to prevent access or use of the spaces, or cause alarm or distress to attendees.
“Intimidatory protests should trigger an immediate response [by the police],” according to the Defending Democracy Policing Protocol published by Number 10.