Latest news with #PublicOrderAct2023
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Questions raised by Met police raid on Quaker meeting house
I represent a non-Quaker spiritual group with a longstanding arrangement to meet twice a week at the Westminster Quaker meeting house in London, from which building six female members of a youth protest group were recently arrested by means of violent forced entry (Report, 30 March). A symptom often felt by people who are burgled is that their personal space has been invaded. When those who commit violence are those whose role is to protect us, it is doubly shattering. We were not present when the forced entry took place, yet the manner of it leaves us with a feeling of devastation and destruction of so much of what we have created. Of course it will be argued that the invasion of the space was a necessary evil, but I have to state with force that what we now suffer is real hurt, whereas the prevention of resistance in London is harm as yet not done. While I have plenty of sympathy with the impossible, and quite likely painful, decision made by the police, places of real quiet and sanctuary are deeply needed in our society, and their invasion cannot be passed off as a necessary evil. Violence is violence, whoever commits it, and there is real loss here, real suffering, and real HaywardBarnes, London The fact that I am in the House of Lords is undoubtedly linked to attending a Quaker school for seven years, where the notions of public service, non-violence and a belief in community were a paramount theme running through school life and lessons. Quakers have been at the forefront of many radical changes for the better, such as abolition of slavery and prison reform. The Youth Demand members who were the subject of a police raid continue a tradition. This Labour government must not continue down the repressive route of the last government. We must take the opportunity to roll back the excesses of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023. Sue MillerLiberal Democrat, House of Lords I suggest that Youth Demand hold their next meeting in Canterbury Cathedral. The optics of the agents of the crown forcing their way into that place of worship might be too much, even in these benighted CameronEdinburgh Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
What are UK laws on abortion clinic ‘buffer zones' and what has US been saying?
Laws around so-called buffer zones outside abortion clinics in the UK have come under the spotlight after the US State Department expressed concern over the case of a demonstrator. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the laws as they stand and what has been said by the US administration in recent months. – What is a buffer zone? There are two versions. National legislation came into effect in England and Wales at the end of October 2024. But there were already some zones in effect outside certain clinics, enacted by local councils. – What is the national legislation? Known as 'safe access zones' in the legislation, these are areas within 150 metres of a clinic or hospital providing abortion services. Under the Public Order Act 2023, it is an offence for someone to, within this area, do anything that intentionally or recklessly influences someone's decision to use abortion services, obstructs them, or causes harassment, alarm or distress to someone using or working at the premises. Anyone found guilty of such an offence will face an unlimited fine. – What about other areas of the UK? Legislation creating buffer zones around abortion clinics in Scotland, banning protests or vigils there, came into force in September 2024. In Northern Ireland, safe access zones at health service locations which offer abortion and birth control services have been in place since September 2023. – What are the council-enacted buffer zones? Known as public spaces protection orders (PSPOs), the first in the UK was enacted by west London's Ealing Council in April 2018 outside the MSI Reproductive Choices Clinic in Mattock Lane. Campaigners had long made the case for the need for national legislation, arguing that PSPOs depend on local councils' willingness, are timebound, can be expensive and result in a postcode lottery across the country. – Is silent prayer banned under national legislation? Silent prayer, which was been a point of contention throughout the passage of the national legislation at Westminster, is not an automatic offence but people doing this within the zones could be liable for prosecution, according to guidance published last October. Instances will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with police and prosecutors deciding around the intent or recklessness of the person involved. Pro-choice campaigners had called for a total ban on silent prayer within the zones, arguing a woman using a clinic can feel intimidated by the presence of someone standing in the area praying, even if they are not speaking. But opponents of the new national law have repeatedly insisted not allowing silent prayer would be a 'gross intrusion in the right of freedom of religion, free speech'. – What has been said by the US administration on the issue? In February, during a speech at the Munich security conference, US vice president JD Vance referenced the case of a former serviceman accused of breaching a council-enacted buffer zone in England, suggesting it showed 'in Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat'. His reference was to the conviction of Adam Smith-Connor, who was found guilty last year of failing to comply with a council-enacted PSPO at an abortion centre in Bournemouth in November 2022. Smith-Connor was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay more than £9,000 in court costs and victim surcharge after the legal proceedings brought by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The court heard that, before the buffer zone was established, the clinic had been a 'focal point' for people to gather and pray, and that the PSPO had been put in place after a public consultation found 75% of 2,241 local residents supported the move. More recently, on March 30, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labour (DRL), a bureau within the US Department of State, issued a statement on social media platform X, saying it was 'monitoring' the case of another woman accused of breaching a PSPO. The bureau said one of its senior advisers had met with Livia Tossici-Bolt, who is due to receive a verdict on Friday in a case involving her holding a sign in a buffer zone saying 'Here to talk, if you want'. The bureau said: 'We are monitoring her case. It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression.' The ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom), an international religious campaigning organisation, has been supporting Ms Tossici-Bolt with her case. – Has the British Government responded to remarks by the US administration? After the Telegraph quoted a source 'familiar with trade negotiations' between the UK and US as saying there should be 'no free trade without free speech', Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said free speech has not been part of tariff negotiations with the US. Mr Reynolds, a prominent Christian member of the Government, told Times Radio: 'Obviously, there are things from different people in the administration that they've said in the past about this, but it's not been part of the trade negotiations that I've been part of.' Following Mr Vance's speech earlier this year referencing Smith-Connor, Mr Reynolds said he disagreed with the US vice president and that being able to access health services was 'an important British value too'. Speaking last month, Mr Reynolds said: 'On the specific example he (Mr Vance) gave, let's be clear, we don't have blasphemy laws in the UK. That's the right thing. 'I say that, as a Christian: no-one is arrested for what they are praying about.' He also insisted 'no-one is subject to any kind of enforcement from the state for praying in this country'. 'The example he (Mr Vance) gave was about people being able to access healthcare, in this case, abortions, free of intimidation or harassment,' Mr Reynolds said. 'I think that's an important British value, too.' – What have anti-abortion campaigners been saying about UK laws? Campaigners have argued that not allowing silent prayer threatens their rights to freedom of expression and religious belief. Right To Life UK said the zones mean 'vital practical support provided by volunteers outside abortion clinics, which helps to provide a genuine choice, and offers help to women who may be undergoing coercion, will be removed'. The UK branch of the ADF said the right to engage in silent prayer is 'the most basic of human rights' and described the enactment of the national buffer zones as 'a watershed moment for British freedoms'. – And what about pro-choice groups? Heidi Stewart, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), welcomed the zones which she said could not 'come soon enough', after years of patients and staff at clinics facing 'anti-abortion fanatics standing outside clinics for hours' staring, handing out leaflets and displaying 'graphic and distressing posters'. Louise McCudden, from MSI Reproductive Choices, said the zones protect women and frontline healthcare workers, adding: 'Whatever your personal views are on abortion, nobody should be harassed while accessing healthcare.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What are UK laws on abortion clinic ‘buffer zones' and what has US been saying?
Laws around so-called buffer zones outside abortion clinics in the UK have come under the spotlight after the US State Department expressed concern over the case of a demonstrator. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the laws as they stand and what has been said by the US administration in recent months. – What is a buffer zone? There are two versions. National legislation came into effect in England and Wales at the end of October 2024. But there were already some zones in effect outside certain clinics, enacted by local councils. – What is the national legislation? Known as 'safe access zones' in the legislation, these are areas within 150 metres of a clinic or hospital providing abortion services. Under the Public Order Act 2023, it is an offence for someone to, within this area, do anything that intentionally or recklessly influences someone's decision to use abortion services, obstructs them, or causes harassment, alarm or distress to someone using or working at the premises. Anyone found guilty of such an offence will face an unlimited fine. – What about other areas of the UK? Legislation creating buffer zones around abortion clinics in Scotland, banning protests or vigils there, came into force in September 2024. In Northern Ireland, safe access zones at health service locations which offer abortion and birth control services have been in place since September 2023. – What are the council-enacted buffer zones? Known as public spaces protection orders (PSPOs), the first in the UK was enacted by west London's Ealing Council in April 2018 outside the MSI Reproductive Choices Clinic in Mattock Lane. Campaigners had long made the case for the need for national legislation, arguing that PSPOs depend on local councils' willingness, are timebound, can be expensive and result in a postcode lottery across the country. – Is silent prayer banned under national legislation? Silent prayer, which was been a point of contention throughout the passage of the national legislation at Westminster, is not an automatic offence but people doing this within the zones could be liable for prosecution, according to guidance published last October. Instances will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, with police and prosecutors deciding around the intent or recklessness of the person involved. Pro-choice campaigners had called for a total ban on silent prayer within the zones, arguing a woman using a clinic can feel intimidated by the presence of someone standing in the area praying, even if they are not speaking. But opponents of the new national law have repeatedly insisted not allowing silent prayer would be a 'gross intrusion in the right of freedom of religion, free speech'. – What has been said by the US administration on the issue? In February, during a speech at the Munich security conference, US vice president JD Vance referenced the case of a former serviceman accused of breaching a council-enacted buffer zone in England, suggesting it showed 'in Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat'. His reference was to the conviction of Adam Smith-Connor, who was found guilty last year of failing to comply with a council-enacted PSPO at an abortion centre in Bournemouth in November 2022. Smith-Connor was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay more than £9,000 in court costs and victim surcharge after the legal proceedings brought by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The court heard that, before the buffer zone was established, the clinic had been a 'focal point' for people to gather and pray, and that the PSPO had been put in place after a public consultation found 75% of 2,241 local residents supported the move. More recently, on March 30, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labour (DRL), a bureau within the US Department of State, issued a statement on social media platform X, saying it was 'monitoring' the case of another woman accused of breaching a PSPO. The bureau said one of its senior advisers had met with Livia Tossici-Bolt, who is due to receive a verdict on Friday in a case involving her holding a sign in a buffer zone saying 'Here to talk, if you want'. The bureau said: 'We are monitoring her case. It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression.' The ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom), an international religious campaigning organisation, has been supporting Ms Tossici-Bolt with her case. – Has the British Government responded to remarks by the US administration? After the Telegraph quoted a source 'familiar with trade negotiations' between the UK and US as saying there should be 'no free trade without free speech', Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said free speech has not been part of tariff negotiations with the US. Mr Reynolds, a prominent Christian member of the Government, told Times Radio: 'Obviously, there are things from different people in the administration that they've said in the past about this, but it's not been part of the trade negotiations that I've been part of.' Following Mr Vance's speech earlier this year referencing Smith-Connor, Mr Reynolds said he disagreed with the US vice president and that being able to access health services was 'an important British value too'. Speaking last month, Mr Reynolds said: 'On the specific example he (Mr Vance) gave, let's be clear, we don't have blasphemy laws in the UK. That's the right thing. 'I say that, as a Christian: no-one is arrested for what they are praying about.' He also insisted 'no-one is subject to any kind of enforcement from the state for praying in this country'. 'The example he (Mr Vance) gave was about people being able to access healthcare, in this case, abortions, free of intimidation or harassment,' Mr Reynolds said. 'I think that's an important British value, too.' – What have anti-abortion campaigners been saying about UK laws? Campaigners have argued that not allowing silent prayer threatens their rights to freedom of expression and religious belief. Right To Life UK said the zones mean 'vital practical support provided by volunteers outside abortion clinics, which helps to provide a genuine choice, and offers help to women who may be undergoing coercion, will be removed'. The UK branch of the ADF said the right to engage in silent prayer is 'the most basic of human rights' and described the enactment of the national buffer zones as 'a watershed moment for British freedoms'. – And what about pro-choice groups? Heidi Stewart, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), welcomed the zones which she said could not 'come soon enough', after years of patients and staff at clinics facing 'anti-abortion fanatics standing outside clinics for hours' staring, handing out leaflets and displaying 'graphic and distressing posters'. Louise McCudden, from MSI Reproductive Choices, said the zones protect women and frontline healthcare workers, adding: 'Whatever your personal views are on abortion, nobody should be harassed while accessing healthcare.'
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US vice president launches attack on BCP Council, government and courts
VICE president of the United States has criticised BCP Council, the government and the courts for prosecuting a man who breached an order outside an abortion clinic. JD Vance claimed the 'basic liberties of religious Britons' are under threat as he launched an attack on European democracy. He referred to the conviction of Adam Smith-Connor, 51, who had denied doing so but was found guilty last year of failing to comply with a public space protection order at the centre in Bournemouth in November 2022. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Mr Vance that the US' 'very dear friends the United Kingdom' appeared to have seen a 'backslide in conscience rights.' 'A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50 metres from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own,' he said. 'After British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied simply it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before. 'Now, the officers were not moved – Adam was found guilty of (breaking) the Government's new buffer zones law, which criminalises silent prayer and other actions that could influence a person's decision within 200 metres of abortion facility. 'He was sentenced to pay thousands of pounds in legal costs to the prosecution… in Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.' In England, where the incident involving Smith-Connor took place, buffer zones apply within 150 metres of an abortion clinic. In Scotland, the zones apply within 200 metres. The case also preceded the enforcement of the Public Order Act 2023, which introduced the new rules on safe access zones outside all abortion clinics following a free vote in Parliament that received cross-party support. Smith-Connor had instead been charged with breaching a public space protection order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which banned activity including protests, harassment and vigils. Proponents of safe access zones say women using a clinic can feel intimidated and distressed by the presence of someone standing in the area praying, even if they are not speaking. Critics argue the rule undermines the right to freedom of religion and free speech. Smith-Connor was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay more than £9,000 in court costs and victim surcharge after the legal proceedings brought by BCP Council.
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Vance takes swipe at UK in speech at Munich security summit
The US vice-president has criticised the UK over a legal case in which a former serviceman who silently prayed outside an abortion clinic was convicted of breaching the safe zone around the centre. In a wider attack on what he suggested is a shift away from democratic values across Europe, JD Vance claimed the 'basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular' are under threat. He referred to the conviction of Adam Smith-Connor, 51, who had denied doing so but was found guilty last year of failing to comply with a public space protection order at the centre in Bournemouth in November 2022. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Mr Vance that the US' 'very dear friends the United Kingdom' appeared to have seen a 'backslide in conscience rights.' 'A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50 metres from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own,' he said. In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat US vice-president JD Vance 'After British law enforcement spotted him and demanded to know what he was praying for, Adam replied simply it was on behalf of the unborn son he and his former girlfriend had aborted years before. 'Now, the officers were not moved – Adam was found guilty of (breaking) the Government's new buffer zones law, which criminalises silent prayer and other actions that could influence a person's decision within 200 metres of abortion facility. 'He was sentenced to pay thousands of pounds in legal costs to the prosecution… in Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.' In England, where the incident involving Smith-Connor took place, buffer zones apply within 150 metres of an abortion clinic. In Scotland, the zones apply within 200 metres. The case also preceded the enforcement of the Public Order Act 2023, which introduced the new rules on safe access zones outside all abortion clinics following a free vote in Parliament that received cross-party support. Smith-Connor had instead been charged with breaching a public space protection order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which banned activity including protests, harassment and vigils. Proponents of safe access zones say women using a clinic can feel intimidated and distressed by the presence of someone standing in the area praying, even if they are not speaking. Critics argue the rule undermines the right to freedom of religion and free speech. Smith-Connor was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay more than £9,000 in court costs and victim surcharge after the legal proceedings brought by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Mr Vance's speech, and his passing mention of the Russian war in Ukraine, came at a time of heightened concern and uncertainty over the Trump administration's foreign policy. 'In Washington there is a new sheriff in town and, under Donald Trump's leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square,' he said to tepid applause. He also said the administration 'believes we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine'. Mr Vance is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later, for talks that many hope will shed some light on the US president's ideas for a negotiated end to the war. It comes after Mr Trump said he had agreed to 'work together, very closely' with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on starting negotiations to resolve the conflict. The Liberal Democrats said Britain would not 'take lectures about political freedoms' from 'the acolyte of a president who tried to undermine democracy and now praises Putin'. 'The British people will see straight through this hypocrisy,' the party's foreign affairs spokesman, Calum Miller MP, said. The Green Party said the vice-president's use of the summit to 'lambast allies rather than focus on the real chaos-makers in the world' was 'sadly predictable but no less bizarre and dangerous for that'. The party's foreign affairs spokeswoman said: 'President Trump's administration seems determined to usher in a new world where old friends are discarded and new friends made of dangerous autocrats. 'The UK should have no part of that and should work with others to protect international frameworks and institutions that support co-operation and the rule of law.'
