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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor

Human rights official urges UK to review laws after Palestine Action placard arrests

Shabana Mahmood walking outside Downing Street with a folder
Civil liberty groups have expressed concern over Shabana Mahmood’s plans, announced in October, to hand police in England and Wales greater powers to restrict protests. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Europe’s most senior human rights official has called on Shabana Mahmood to review UK protest laws after mass arrests over the ban on Palestine Action.

Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, said that the current legal framework allows UK authorities to “impose excessive limits on freedom of assembly and expression, and risk overpolicing” in a letter sent to the home secretary.

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