Police have seized amplifiers used by a long-running anti-Tory and anti-Brexit protest outside Parliament.
The demonstration, led by activist Steve Bray, has been a regular feature in Westminster for several years with speakers blasting out protest songs about Boris Johnson.
It's understood officers warned Mr Bray, 53, from Port Talbot, south Wales, that if he continued to use the equipment it would be seized, and if he resisted, he'd be arrested.
Police then removed Mr Bray's equipment using new powers in the Tories' controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which came into force after midnight.
Some 15 officers arrived on the island at the corner of Whitehall to seize two speakers, as Mr Bray and around 10 fellow protesters clung on and branded them "fascists".
They complained only one of the speakers was in use and shouted: "This is not Britain."
After the equipment was loaded onto a nearby police van, Mr Bray vowed to continue the protest, saying: “I’ve got more speakers. These were sacrificial lambs."
Officers said the equipment was being seized under section 145 of the The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.
This Act imposes a 'controlled area' around Westminster where things like sleeping in a tent are restricted.
The Tories' new law then extended this 'controlled area', from today, to a further distance around Westminster to include Parliament Square and Parliament Street.
Jun Pang of Liberty said: “Protests are by nature ‘noisy’ and ‘disruptive’. It is very worrying the police have already started enforcing the broad powers within the Policing Act in such a heavy-handed and punitive way.
“As the Government tries to push through further attacks on protest in the Public Order Bill and the Rights Removal Bill, we must all oppose these measures that will make it much harder for us all to stand up for what we believe in.”
Oliver Feeley-Sprague, Amnesty International UK's policing expert, said: “The measures taken against Steve Bray are likely to be the tip of the iceberg.
“Unfortunately, we fear there is now going to be a cascade of cases where people are being prevented from legitimate protest on grounds that are both petty and punitive.
“The deeply authoritarian new policing laws are a charter for the suppression of legitimate protest – a dark day for liberty in our country and something we need to see repealed as soon as possible.”
Mr Bray told the Mirror police took two amplifiers and a microphone worth around £1,000 between them.
He said an officer had told him he would have to go to court to demand his equipment back, though it was not clear this would be a criminal process.
“They’re going to summons me for a court appearance and I’m going to elect trial by jury”, he said. “They asked for my details and I said Mickey Mouse, 10 Downing Street.”
He added: “It may even be a test of the new law. I personally hope it is.”
Mr Bray went on: “What I would like to say is they are taking us down a very slippery slope into fascism when they’re changing the laws to stop any kind of dissent whatsoever.
“They want people to stand there with their hands folded. Protests are about making noise.”
Police approached ‘Stop Brexit ’ protester Mr Bray just 10 hours after Priti Patel ’s hardline anti-protest laws came into force.
Several other clauses of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act - which passed in April despite more than a year of resistance from peers, civil liberties campaigners and many MPs - also commenced on Tuesday 28 June.
One clause that commenced this morning is for police to “impose conditions on one-person protests” - a law critics have speculated was drawn up because of Mr Bray.
A senior police officer can impose conditions on a one-person protest if they “reasonably believe” the noise it creates “may result in serious disruption to the activities of an organisation in the vicinity, or have a significant, relevant impact on people in the vicinity.”
This disruption includes if people in the organisation can’t “reasonably carry out any one of their activities for a prolonged period of time.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "A protester in Whitehall has had his amplifying equipment seized by Met police officers, at around 13:00hrs, on Tuesday, 28 June.
"The man was using the equipment in a zone where the use of amplified equipment is prohibited. He was spoken to by officers on multiple occasions in relation to specific legislation regarding the use of the amplifying equipment and that it would be seized if he persisted.
"The individual continued to use the amplifying equipment and it was seized under Section 145 of the Policing Bill. He was also reported for the offence. This means that he will be considered for prosecution for the offence."
Mr Bray has for years played protest songs on a loudspeaker in Parliament Square, within earshot of MPs’ and journalists’ offices. They include ‘Bye Bye Boris’, to the tune of Bye Bye Baby by the Bay City Rollers.
The new law says any direction given by the senior police officer imposing conditions on a protest “must be set out in writing.”
Once those conditions have been set, a protester can then be arrested if they “fail to comply with any conditions they knew or ought to have known had been imposed.”
People found guilty of flouting this restriction can be jailed for up to six months or given an unlimited fine.
Other clauses coming into effect today include the power for police to restrict larger protests and marches; an offence of blocking vehicle access to Parliament; “intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance”; and a ban on “unauthorised encampments” by protesters.
Asked if Boris Johnson was pleased to see Mr Bray spoken to by police, a No10 spokesman in London said: “I haven’t asked him that question directly given he’s not here.”
But the spokesman defended the law, saying: “The government has changed laws so dangerous criminals get the sentences they deserve and are kept behind bars for longer. You’ll have seen the range of sentencing rules that come into force today.”
He added: “We’ve always said protesting is an important right within a democracy but I haven’t been able to ask the PM directly about those stories this morning.”
