What does this tweet from the Metropolitan Police tell us about their attitude towards peaceful protesters?
This week, the Metropolitan Police’s official Twitter account posted this tweet in regard to the King’s upcoming coronation. It reads that ‘any disruption whether through protest or otherwise’ will not be tolerated, and that they will deal with any so-called disruption ‘robustly’. So, what does this mean for the rights or protest in this country, and does the tone set a dangerous precedent?
The government’s controversial Public Order Bill came into effect recently, which gives the police more power to prevent disruption at popular events. The problem with this is that ‘disruption’ is not defined – who is to decide what counts as disruptive? Does a person standing in silence with a placard count as ‘disruptive’, or is the word only reserved for violent protests? Many would argue that leaving such matters to interpretation places too much power into the hands of the police, particularly in relation to the upcoming Coronation.
The Met’s recent tweet demonstrates this problem – anything they regard as disruptive can be stopped, with full backing from the government. This is likely to make many feel nervous, particularly in regard to the various scandals which have surrounded the Metropolitan Police in recent years. Why, many might ask, should such a police force be deciding when protests are acceptable, when they have such a long history of misogynistic, racist and homophobic behaviour? Handing such powers to the police could also be seen as a huge conflict of interest – for example, a protest against the Metropolitan Police itself would be policed by the very people the protest is against. These same people can decided whether a protest counts as ‘disruptive’ and can such a protest down.
The tweet also demonstrates the problem that many have found with policing surrounding the Royal Family in the past year. After the late Queen’s death in September 2022, various protesters were arrested for ‘public order offences’ in relation to the funeral proceedings, with one man being arrested for shouting “who elected him?” during an accession proclamation and another for heckling towards Prince Andrew. Whether one agrees with such behaviour or not, it appears rather sinister that the police can arrest protesters for simply shouting in the street – after all, all protests are disruptive to a certain degree. Such arrests, and the recent tweet from the Metropolitan Police, indicate that the police are taking a political stance in relation to the Royal Family, and that any protest in their vicinity will be immediately stopped. This is a dangerous route for any police force to go down, particularly the Met Police after several years of bad press.
Of course, it could be argued that the tweet is merely trying to protect the general public from any violent disruption which may occur on Coronation day – after all, the majority of those in London for the event will be there to enjoy themselves and the grand spectacle of the day. Also, many could claim that the government’s bill is what the general public wants after the tactics of eco protesters such as Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil, such as road blocks and climbing onto motorway gantries. This is shown through a recent YouGov poll in which 66% of those surveyed approved of the policy to make it a criminal offence to obstruct major transport works, and 60% agreed with introducing a court order to target protesters who are ‘determined to cause disruption.’ The problem with such arguments is whether the general public’s convenience outweighs the fundamental right to protest.
Whilst the general public may indeed be broadly supportive of the recent public order bill, the actions of the Metropolitan Police suggest the bill could be a slippery slope. As their recent tweet demonstrates, the power to decide what constitutes as disruption now rests primarily in their hands, and it seems the Royal Family will be protected from any kind of dissent. It remains to be seen how the Coronation weekend pans out, but after the tweet, it seems clear that many people’s eyes will be on the Met and their actions towards any protesters.
