Key Facts

• Protests at oil refineries and terminals became more widespread, confrontational, and longer starting in April 2020.
• Two fuel forecourts were damaged and blocked during the protest period.
• Approximately 500 arrests were made during protests targeting 11 terminals.
• Protesters engaged in locking on to stationary tankers, machinery at height, and cutting cables on road tankers.
• A significant disruption occurred at Stansted airport in 2017 due to a protest against a deportation flight, impacting around 1,800 passengers.
• The protesters were acquitted of intentional disruption under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act.
• The Public Order Bill aims to reduce the time and cost spent obtaining injunctions that allow arrests.
• There were 500 arrests made during protests, highlighting existing enforcement challenges.
• The Just Stop Oil protests have impacted areas such as Kingsbury and Esso Purfleet in Essex and Warwickshire.
• Fuel deliveries dropped by 9% week on week for the period ending April 3rd due to disruption.
• Costs associated with obtaining injunctions across industry members are estimated at over £1 million, with local authorities also incurring significant costs.
• The Court of Appeal's decision recognised that existing summary-only offences may not reflect the gravity of protest actions at airports.
• Sites such as Kingsbury oil terminal, within Andrew Bridgen's constituency, are critical infrastructure with large perimeters and significant security challenges.
• There is concern about future risks to airports related to increased public attention on deportation flights.
• The statement discusses protests affecting key national infrastructure in the supply chain.
• Elizabeth de Jong and Steve Griffiths represent trade associations for oil and aviation industries respectively.
• They support peaceful protest rights but emphasize the importance of public safety.
• David Mundell thanked the previous witnesses for their evidence.
• Adam Wagner is a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers specializing in human rights law and public inquiries.
• The Committee will hear from Adam Wagner until 3:50 PM.
• The Bill treats peaceful protest like serious crimes such as knife crime or terrorism.
• Wagner predicts a significant increase in protesters appearing in criminal courts and prisons due to the new legislation.
• Existing laws allow police to arrest individuals for obstruction of the highway, aggravated trespass, and other criminal offences.
• The Public Order Bill includes serious disruption prevention orders.
• These orders can prevent individuals from entering town centres or associating with specific people for up to two years.
• Organisations, such as charities and campaigning groups, could also be affected by these orders.
• Protests occurred at three print sites across the UK from September 4-5, 2020.
• At Broxbourne site: 51 arrests made; charges under obstructing highways.
• At Knowsley site: 30 arrests and 28 charges under aggravated trespass legislation.
• Cost to News UK was about £1.2 million due to disruption.
• Disruption affected wholesalers, retailers, and up to 3 million customers.
• The Sun newspaper has carried extensive coverage on Black Lives Matter and diversity issues.
• During the pandemic, professional journalists provided minute-by-minute information which is crucial for public health.
• There remains a significant number of older readers who rely on print media rather than online sources.
• Sir Peter Martin Fahy, Matt Parr CB, and Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby gave evidence.
• The session was scheduled until 4:10 pm.
• Witnesses were introduced as retired police officer, inspector of constabulary, and tactical public order commander.
• The government programme has failed to address practical issues related to policing protests.
• Sir Robert Peel's principles of policing emphasize impartiality, acting under the rule of law, and not following any particular initiative.
• Training levels for police officers are still very poor, with no formal qualification required for superintendents.
• The UK has roughly half the number of police officers per head of population compared to France, Italy, and Spain.
• Officers are often pulled from investigating serious crimes like rape and burglary during protests.
• The speaker recommends keeping protesters in custody rather than releasing them on bail pending court cases.
• There is no clear legal definition for terms such as 'protests' or 'serious disruption.'
• Training police officers to understand complex legislation is challenging due to time constraints and the rapid changes in laws.
• The policing response to Parr's report has been professional and thorough.
• Five changes were proposed to the law in 2019 by the Home Secretary and Met Commissioner, but only one is included in the Bill.
• Extending stop and search powers for lock-ons aims to enhance police effectiveness with appropriate safeguards.
• Extinction Rebellion cost about £37 million in 2019, with at least £6 million spent on policing alone.
• Protests have been increasing in complexity and demand on policing resources.
• The speaker highlights the need for clarity in defining serious disruption to prevent protests from becoming too much of a drain.
• The Sarah Everard vigil raised questions about public perception of policing.
• Communities scrutinize stop and search practices.
• Youth violence and knife crime are increasing challenges for police.
• Police forces must judge public opinion when deciding how to police protests.
• The COP26 in Glasgow used community panels for decision-making during protests.
• British policing traditionally escalates response gradually, maintaining legal and proportional approaches.
• Increased resource allocation to protests reduces resources available for other crimes like knife crime.
• David Mundell introduces Olly Sprague, Stephanie Needleman, and Martha Spurrier from Amnesty International, Justice, and Liberty respectively.
• The witnesses are to provide evidence on the Public Order Bill.
• Clause 12 of the Public Order Bill allows for applications to court to prevent someone from participating in protests based on involvement in disruption.
• Serious disruption prevention orders can cover broad circumstances under clause 13(2)(a)(v).
• The conditions for obtaining an order only require proof on the balance of probabilities.
• The Public Order Bill introduces serious disruption prevention orders (SDPOs).
• SDPOs can be imposed based on a civil standard burden of proof or without requiring previous convictions.
• International comparisons show that few countries have measures similar to protest banning orders.
• Concern is raised about aligning UK standards with international human rights protections.
• Serious disruption prevention orders (SDPOs) can place restrictions on individuals' ability to operate in protest environments.
• Judges under judicial supervision can impose SDPO conditions based on a low standard of proof without criminal conduct.
• Civil injunctions cannot attach the same invasive conditions, such as electronic monitoring, as SDPOs.
• For non-criminal acts, SDPOs allow for indefinite civil orders with conditions like electronic monitoring and potential imprisonment up to almost a year.
• Liberty supports limited buffer zones around abortion clinics.
• Martha Spurrier discusses the subjective nature of balancing competing rights in public order laws.
• The speaker questions how to handle persistent protestors who cause significant damage or danger.
• The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 includes expanded circumstances under which the police can impose conditions on protests.
• Suspicionless stop and search is twice as likely to target people of colour compared to white individuals.
• No one has been fined under the process that freed up police time.
• The Committee had determined certain timescales for the panels.
• The session has reached the end of its designated timescale.
• Witnesses thanked include those present in the room and Ms Needleman via Zoom.