Kill the Bill!

rs21 members • April 6, 2021

Tens of thousands took to the streets around the country over the Easter weekend to protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. rs21 members who attended the protests report in pictures.

In recent weeks, Kill the Bill demonstrations have taken place across Britain, hosted by a wide range of organisations united in opposition to the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021. The bill is designed to further criminalise dissent, as well as adding provisions to the statute book which will be used to embolden police in their racist violence towards Black people and GRT communities. All social movements and workers’ struggles stand to lose key freedoms if the right to effective protest is taken away.

As protests have escalated around the country, the policing strategy has been aggressive in many cities. Flashpoint moments in Bristol and at Clapham Common have suggested that police are under increasingly authoritarian orders. With the proposed bill, the police stand to gain huge powers with very little oversight. Unless we crush this bill now, we’re likely to see a further ramping up of aggressive police tactics in times to come.

In defiance of police intimidation, thousands have turned out on the streets up and down the country to defend the right to protest. #KillTheBill!