Thread by @docrussjackson

#THREAD

#CIVICUS is an international non-profit organisation, dedicated to strengthening citizen action & civil society around the world. It's focus is on regions where participatory democracy & freedom of association are at risk - now including Britain.

monitor.civicus.org/country/united…

The UK has joined Hungary, South Africa, & Poland, having been downgraded from ‘narrowed’ to ‘obstructed’, in a new report by the @CIVICUSMonitor, a global research collaboration that rates and tracks fundamental freedoms in 197 countries and territories.

monitor.civicus.org

According to the report, People Power Under Attack 2022, the government's introduction of a range of restrictive laws, particularly on protest, & the UK government's attempt to undermine human rights, led to the downgrade.

civicusmonitor.contentfiles.net/media/document…

Historically regarded as one of the most stable democracies, the downgraded to ‘obstructed’ means civic freedoms, in particular the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is being undermined in the United Kingdom. Other obstructed countries include Poland, Hungary & South Africa.

“The downgrade reflects the worrying trends we are seeing in restrictions across civil society that are threatening our democracy. The government should be setting a positive example to countries that have clamped down on civic space.”

“The UK is becoming increasingly authoritarian and is among concerning company in the CIVICUS Monitor ratings as restrictive laws and dangerous rhetoric are creating a hostile environment towards civil society in the UK.”

“Decision makers across all political parties should be alarmed and make it a priority to protect our rights and freedoms, said Stephanie Draper, CEO of Bond.”

The UK government has proposed two pieces of legislation which give police further powers to restrict protests.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act gives police unprecedented power to restrict protests on the basis of noise, criminalises one person protests, and imposes further restrictions on both processions and static assemblies.

The Public Order Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, includes concerning measures such as Serious Disruption Prevention Orders that could ban named individuals from participating in certain protests and introduces protest-related stop and search powers.

Additionally the government has put forward a so-called Strike bill which would have vast implications on the right to strike, as it gives government ministers the power to set minimum service levels.

It also limits protection for workers as it restricts protection of trade unions from legal action & removes the automatic protection of employees from unfair dismissal if the minimum services were not delivered. This comes as 500,000 workers have recently staged strikes.

For several years, the UK authorities have repeatedly restricted the right to protest by detaining protesters and preventing demonstrations, in particular on issues such as environmental rights and racial justice.

Several protesters find themselves behind bars for participating in protests. In September 2022, #BlackLivesMatter activists were found guilty of 'violent disorder' after a jury trial and sentenced to two years and five months and two years 10 months respectively.

The Network for Police Monitoring (@netpol) has estimated that at the end of 2022, at least 54 people were jailed for taking part in protests, while over 150 people from the #JustStopOil movement have also received prison sentences.

“Instead of restricting the fundamental right to protest and those taking to the streets to hold the government accountable, the government should reaffirm its commitment to protecting civil liberties & human rights by dismantling colonial practices.”

“Colonial practices which are clearly evident in its repeated targeting of excluded groups, including those fighting for racial justice and refugees and asylum seekers rights,” said Aarti Narsee, European Civic Forum, Policy and advocacy officer.

The CIVICUS Monitor is particularly concerned about the UK Govt's attempt to undermine human rights with its plans to repeal the Human Rights Act & replace it with the ‘Bill of Rights’, raising fears around the UK’s continued alignment to the European Convention of Human Rights.

While this could have significant implications on access to justice for everyone, there are concerns that the repeal of the Human Rights Act could pave the way for the government to implement a harsher approach to migration and asylum-seeking in the UK.

In June 2022 the UK Govt attempted to deport refugees to #Rwanda, a country deemed unsafe, but was stopped at the last minute by the European Court of Human Rights. The Govt has repeatedly adopted a hostile rhetoric, fueling attacks against migrants & anti-migrant protests.

"To see the UK’s civic space downgraded to ‘obstructed’ is heart-breaking, but not surprising. A narrative is being crafted in the UK that politics should be left to politicians.”

"Party politics is one thing, but politics with a small ‘p’ belongs to all of us & our civic space is where we explore challenges & ideas as a society. An open civic space supports a healthy democracy & it is the duty of the Govt to protect both.”
- Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

“We all want our elected governments to protect the basic principles of democracy, yet this downgrade shows how this government has repeatedly worked to put itself above all accountability.”

“The Public Order Bill threatens the right to protest for all of us, and will put at greater risk some of the most marginalised communities in the UK. Alongside this, recent plans in the Illegal Migration Bill cruelly remove basic human rights from refugees coming to the UK.”

“It is clear that civil liberties in the UK are not just under threat, but are actively being stripped away. This report is a rallying cry to all those who care about human rights to come together and resist this power grab.” - Ruth Ehrlich, Head of Policy & Campaigns at Liberty.

These developments come as some ministers and MPs have continued to smear and publicly vilify protesters and civil society, especially those working on climate change, anti-racism and refugee and asylum seeker rights.

Rishi Sunak has on many occasions made it clear his goal is to increase the police’s powers to shut down protests & prevent “guerrilla” tactics. Suella Braverman is criticised for her language on refugees, along with Priti Patel, who referred to protesters as “vandals & thugs”.

Over twenty organisations collaborate on the @CIVICUSMonitor, providing evidence & research that help identify countries where civic freedoms are at risk. It has posted more than 493 civic space updates in the last year, which are analysed in People Power Under Attack 2022.

Civic freedoms in 197 countries and territories are categorised as either closed, repressed, obstructed, narrowed or open, based on a methodology that combines several sources of data on the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression.

Our hard-won freedoms are under threat. The UK is now one of 39 countries rated ‘obstructed’ by CIVICUS. Visit the UK’s homepage (link below) for more information, & take action NOW to protect UK democracy from our increasingly cruel & authoritarian Govt.

monitor.civicus.org/country/united…

https://twitter.com/docrussjackson/status/1509459552101703688?s=20