Nearly 50 organisations have joined forces to condemn what they call a “crackdown” on the right to protest by the UK government.
In response to Rishi Sunak’s recent remarks on extremism and “mob rule” linked to protesters, Amnesty International UK and 45 others have sent a letter to the prime minister calling for “leadership, not censorship”.
Other signatories include Article 19, Greenpeace UK, Liberty, the Runnymede Trust and Oxfam.
In the open letter, the groups say the recent introduction of a patchwork of new legislation and policing powers has placed “draconian” restrictions on the right to protest in the UK.
Recently announced moves to place further limits on protests in specific locations are likely to have a further “chilling effect” on people’s right to protest in this country, say the groups.
The signatories of the letter say that by using terms such as “extremism” and “hate mobs”, ministers and other politicians have sought to demonise an overwhelmingly peaceful movement of individuals concerned by recent loss of life in Gaza.
Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said: “When the prime minister addresses the nation, we expect him to show leadership, not censorship.
“From racist language used by ministers, plans to expand the definition of extremism to directly attacking our right to protest are clear violations of international human rights laws.
“Peaceful protest and freedom of expression are fundamental to our democracy. We cannot stand idly by and allow the government to raze our rights to the ground.”
The letter also challenges Sunak over his stated intention to redouble support for the Prevent scheme, in which the groups allege “Islamophobic stereotypes” play a major role in referrals.
The groups call on the prime minister to reverse the “recent crackdown” on the right to protest and stop conflating protests with extremism, abandon the expansion of the definition of extremism and proposals to bar MPs from engaging with certain groups, and to refrain from amplifying divisive language that could inflame tensions within and between communities.
“We have wider concerns about the manner in which your government has come to discuss protesters and others that engage in legitimate political activity on important issues of the day,” the letter reads.
“Our organisations have emphasised the necessity of using considered language in recent months. Yet the deployment of certain terms, such as ’extremism’, ‘radical’, ‘hate mobs’, by your government, creates division and exacerbates existing fears amongst minoritised communities.”
Downing Street did not comment but pointed to the prime minister’s speech on extremism outside No 10 on 1 March in which he set out the government’s view.
