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19 Feb, 6 tweets, 4 min read
🚨NEWS: We've written to @NorwichChloe to urge her to clarify there is no legal ban on political leafleting.

Our joint letter is signed by @article19org @fairvoteuk @IndexCensorship @libertyhq @UnlockDemocracy @LGA_Independent

📃Read more: bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/2021/02/rights…
The very suggestion of a political leafleting ban contradicts the continuation of other postal + delivery services, lacks a public health justification, lacks legal authority, engages the right to freedom of expression protected by ECHR and threatens the functioning of democracy.
Our Legal & Policy Officer @madeleine_st0ne:

“The freedom to distribute political leaflets is a basic right in a functioning democracy. It'd be deeply cynical for Ministers to use the shield of covid restrictions to attempt to take this political freedom away before an election
[...] with no logical public health reason and questionable legal authority. The suppression of leafleting could stifle free and fair elections in May and it must be challenged. This is a real nosedive for democracy.”
Unlock Democracy director @thomasbrake said the Government's attempt to stop political leafleting "defies logic" and means that “the level playing field for political parties is suddenly heavily tipped in the government’s favour.”
Director of Fair Vote UK @kyletaylor said:

“There is a serious consistency issue. If the real concern is risk then why is paid human delivery allowed when that person is effectively being made to do something the government deems too risky to be done on a voluntary basis?"

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More from @BigBrotherWatch

Big Brother Watch Profile picture
21 Feb
✊NO ID CARDS✊

Today is an important day to say loud + clear: no national ID, no vaccine ID, no voter ID!

69 yrs ago today in 1952, Winston Churchill’s govnt scrapped ID cards. Why? In his words, to “set the people free”.

Here’s a story about Britain’s rejection of ID cards.
At the beginning of WW2 in 1939, the National Registration Act was passed as an emergency measure.

Every man, woman and child had to carry an ID card at all times. The main purposes were for evacuations, rationing and population statistics. 45 million paper cards were issued.
But like most emergency measures, ID cards didn’t go away after the war.

In 1950, Harry Willcock, a 54 year old London dry cleaner, was stopped by a police man who demanded to see his ID.

He refused, telling him simply “I am against this sort of thing”. Image
Read 16 tweets
Big Brother Watch Profile picture
12 Feb
Tomorrow, Tony Blair will be in the press telling us that digital vaccine passports are "inevitable".

It's a lie. A future of digital authoritarianism and discrimination is anything but inevitable.

Our director @silkiecarlo explained why on @BBCRadio4 PM this evening ⬇️
📽️Watch the full discussion here

We're building up a fight against mandatory vaccine passports - we can only do it together. Join us:

bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/join/now/
Read 4 tweets
Big Brother Watch Profile picture
5 Feb
📝NEW: Read our latest Emergency Powers and Civil Liberties Report here⬇️

We cover how the pandemic response has impacted rights and freedoms, including:

Excessive policing 🚔
Online censorship 🤐
A Big Tech coup 🖥️
Protest bans 🪧
Vaccine passports 🛂

bit.ly/3ji53dj
EXCESSIVE POLICING:

The Government instigated a misguided 'crackdown'. Police have been arresting + fining people safely going for walks, sitting on benches + playing Pokemon Go.

We believe thousands of fines have been issued unlawfully. Every fine must be urgently reviewed.
ONLINE CENSORSHIP:

Social media firms have been taking down content, even from MPs, that contradicts or criticises Govt health policy

But in a democracy, we have the right to debate, dissent+ speak freely. Unelected Silicon Valley billionaires shouldn't be the arbiters of truth
Read 7 tweets
Big Brother Watch Profile picture
29 Jan
🚨The Government just made a law - without parliament or even publicity - allowing police to access NHS Test & Trace data of people who are self-isolating.

This is a disastrous move that's draconian, undemocratic and misguided in equal measure.

legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/97/r…
Medical privacy is the bedrock of any public health system, yet this Government is trashing it at a time when it has never been more important.

Blurring the lines between the NHS and police will deter people from getting tests or giving contact tracers accurate information.
To throw open this data gateway without consulting parliament or the even telling the public - on the premise of 'urgency' - is yet another example of this Government's pattern of abuse of power.

It is dangerous for public health & dangerous for democracy. MPs must challenge it.
Read 4 tweets
Big Brother Watch Profile picture
15 Jan
Still no explanation @nadhimzahawi for the Government contract for vaccine passports. Dismissive behaviour from the Minister on a critical issue.

There's cause for concern. The contracted companies, iProov and Mvine, have serious commercial interests in digital ID systems. /1
Mvine has a track record campaigning for "digital ID for all", even appropriating "activist" branding for its campaign (see below, from Mvine website) /2
iProov sells facial biometric technology for identification purposes.

It also provides technology for Estonia's mandatory digital ID system, which is regarded as one of the most sophisticated digital identity systems in the world. /3
Read 6 tweets
Big Brother Watch Profile picture
7 Jan
"Protecting public health".

@PoliceScotland stormed into a family home yesterday - on suspicion they had guests around... In fact their seriously ill daughter had just been discharged from hospital.

This is disgraceful. Serious questions must be answered - now. @NicolaSturgeon
Incredibly, in this 2nd video, the police remain and continue to distress the family whilst the daughter is on the floor.

We have reviewed a lot of poor and unlawful policing during the pandemic. This may be the most heinous and senseless example yet.

Change MUST follow this.
We have offered to provide support to the young woman concerned if required.

We will also pursue answers from @policescotland.
Read 4 tweets

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