The activist known as Stop Brexit Man faces prosecution after police officers attempting to shut down his regular protest near parliament seized his equipment as controversial new protest laws came into force.
Steve Bray, a former coin dealer and unsuccessful Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, posted videos on Twitter showing officers approaching him near Parliament Square on Tuesday. His sound system was seized.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, which came into force on Tuesday, introduces an offence of intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance, in an attempt to crack down on disruptive guerrilla protests of the kind used by climate change activists.
The Ministry of Justice said the police would be supported with new powers to tackle non-violent protests that have a significant disruptive effect on the public or access to parliament.
The Metropolitan police said Bray’s equipment had been seized under section 145 of the 2011 Police Reform Social Responsibility Act, which gives the force power to seize items being used for prohibited activities in Parliament Square. That includes operating amplified sound equipment in the controlled area.
The Met said his offence had also been reported, meaning it will be considered for prosecution.
Bray posted videos of himself setting up his protest on Tuesday morning, acknowledging he was doing so despite police warnings. He tweeted: “The police are harassing [the] hell out of this protest today.”
Jun Pang, a policy and campaigns officer at Liberty, said: “Protest is not a gift from the state, it is a fundamental right. Being able to choose what, how and when we protest is a vital part of a healthy, functioning democracy, and nowhere is this more important than at sites of power like parliament – especially at a time when the government is bringing in laws that make it harder to challenge them.
“Protests are by nature noisy and disruptive … 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.”
A Met 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.”
