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Met faces legal challenge over ‘unlawful’ arrest of legal observers

THE Metropolitan Police is facing legal action over the “unlawful” arrests of legal observers at Kill the Bill protests in London last week.

Human rights group Liberty, which is bringing the case, argues that observers are exempt from current Covid-19 restrictions on gatherings, and warned that the arrests were part of a “dangerous attack on the right to protest.”

Four observers from Black Protest Legal Support (BPLS), an organisation led by ethnic minority lawyers to monitor the policing of protests, were arrested on March 16 and held in custody until the early hours. They were all told to expect fines. 

The four, three of whom are people of colour, were detained at a protest against the policing Bill outside Parliament despite wearing high-vis jackets marked “legal observer.”

Under current restrictions there is no explicit exemption for protests, with police and ministers using rules to apply a blanket ban on demonstrations.

Liberty issued a pre-action protocol letter to the Met yesterday demanding that the force drop the fines and ensure legal observers are allowed to carry out their duties without fear of arrest or penalties. The force has two weeks to respond.

Liberty lawyer Lana Adamou said: “The role of legal observers is to ensure that our right to protest is respected, and that the police act within the law.

“If the Met believe it is acting within the law and respecting protest rights, they should welcome such scrutiny.”

She said that the arrests were the “latest concerning intervention by officers” which happened just days after police were widely condemned for forcefully dispersing a vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common. 

In a statement, BPLS said that the latest arrests are “but another example of decades’ worth of racialised policing at protests.”

The Met was approached for comment.  

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