Wondering how @Piers_Corbyn has been fined £10,000?
- From yesterday police have power to fine £10k for people holding or "involved in the holding" of gathering > 30 people
- Can apply to protests but charities/businesses/political bodies can lawfully organise if follow guidance
- From yesterday police have power to fine £10k for people holding or "involved in the holding" of gathering > 30 people
- Can apply to protests but charities/businesses/political bodies can lawfully organise if follow guidance
I think it's time to raise an uncomfortable little flag - you may fiercely disagree with Piers Corbyn's views (I do!) a person was just fined £10k for organising a peaceful (as far as I know) protest under a law which came into force 24 hours earlier...
... passed with no parliamentary scrutiny, literally by a flick of @MattHancock's pen, using a power which allows the executive to pass new criminal laws without prior approval by any other elected officials - and this by my count about the 50th such time it happened since March
I am not exaggerating, as a lawyer who has been following these regulations closely for 5 months I just about figured out, on Thursday, that these new fines would apply to some political protests but I don't think anyone else was on top of it and the govt weren't advertising it..
I know most people will probably think 'well, it's a nice irony that these idiots who don't believe in Covid-19 will have to pay the price"... but unpopular speech is still protected under human rights law. Even stupidity...
Counter argument is they only had to do a risk assessment and take reasonable measures to limit transmission... and by definition they would have refused to do that. And that makes them almost totally unique amongst potentially protesters. So maybe not the thin edge of a wedge
