UK union leaders express fear over erosion of right to protest in open letter

The Guardian

a day ago

More than 20 union leaders have expressed their deep concern over the apparent erosion of the right to peaceful protest, piling pressure on the Metropolitan police over its handling of pro-Palestinian marches at the start of the year.
Paul Nowak of the Trades Union Congress, Christina McAnea of Unison, Daniel Kebede of the National Education Union, Matt Wrack of the NASUWT and Eddie Dempsey of the RMT are among 22 trade union general secretaries who have criticised the Met's decision to arrest and charge former union members who took part in peaceful protest on 18 January.
The joint statement from the union leaders follows frustration shared over the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action, despite concerns the move could risk criminalising legitimate protest.
While the statement from the union leaders does not express support for the proscribed group, they say the arrest and subsequent charges brought against those who attended a peaceful pro-Palestinian protest on 18 January mark an 'attack on our right to protest'.
The former NEU executive member Alex Kenny and the general secretary for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Sophie Bolt, were arrested alongside more than 70 other people including Ben Jamal, the director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Chris Nineham, the vice-chair of the Stop the War coalition.
In the joint statement – whose signatories also include Dave Ward of the Communication Workers Union and Mick Whelan of Aslef – they call for all these charges to be dropped and note: 'We believe these charges are an attack on our right to protest … the freedoms to organise, of assembly and speech matter; we must defend them.'
They add: 'We are deeply concerned that the Metropolitan police are bringing charges against former NEU executive member Alex Kenny and Sophie Bolt, CND secretary, following the peaceful protest for Palestine in London on 18 January.
'These charges follow the decision to prosecute Chris Nineham, Stop the War Coalition vice-chair, and Ben Jamal, Palestine Solidarity Campaign director. Alex Kenny is a longstanding and widely respected trade union activist who has organised peaceful demonstrations in London for decades.
'He was chief steward for the NEU national strike demonstration in March 2023. He has played a leading role in many demonstrations organised in the TUC region covering London and the south-east.
'We believe these charges are an attack on our right to protest. The right to protest is fundamental to trade unions and the wider movement.
'The freedoms to organise, of assembly and of speech matter; we must defend them. We call for the charges against Alex Kenny, Sophie Bolt, Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal to be dropped.'
In the wake of the protest in January, dozens of legal experts signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the Met's policing of the demonstration, describing it as 'a disproportionate, unwarranted and dangerous assault on the right to assembly and protest'.
MPs, peers and Amnesty International had also expressed concerns about the policing of it, with the Green party London assembly member Zoë Garbett telling the assembly's police and crime committee meeting that she had been contacted by more than 150 people who recalled incidents of kettling and police violence towards children, pregnant women and older people.
At the same protest, the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell were voluntarily interviewed under caution in relation to the march, before being 'released pending further investigations'.
Their criticism was followed by demands from MPs and peers, who also wrote to the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, calling for a review of legislation limiting protest, which was introduced by the Conservative government.