Amendment to the Public Order Bill

The Guardian has reported that the upcoming Public Order Bill will be amended to give journalists covering protests extra protection following the unjustifiable arrests of photographers, a filmmaker and reporters at Just Stop Oil actions last year. The House of Lords recognised that changes were needed to the bill and voted for changes to be made. According to The Guardian, Home Secretary, The Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP, will table her own amendment to add extra protections saying that

“A constable may not exercise a police power for the sole purpose of preventing a person from observing or reporting on a protest”.

The BPPA has been lobbying for all UK police forces to make sure that their officers understand the role of the media. If changes to The Bill are made and, if this amendment is included, this goes some way towards meeting what we and other organisations have been calling for.