Parliamentary committee: UK government should drop 'disproportionate' plan to ban noisy protests
June 22, 2021, 7:23 am

Parliamentary committee: UK government should drop 'disproportionate' plan to ban noisy protests

According to BBC, a parliamentary committee has warned that the government should drop its "disproportionate" plan to ban noisy protests in England and Wales. UK government

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would also introduce powers to deal with demonstrations involving only one person.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights said the legislation could undermine freedom of expression.

But the Home Office said it would not "impinge" on the right to protest.

Existing laws are out of date and "disruptive and dangerous tactics" have to be dealt with, BBC reported, citing a spokeswoman. UK government

The committee's chairwoman, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, said the plans were "oppressive and wrong".

The bill says group protests should not be loud enough to cause "serious unease, alarm or distress" to people "in the vicinity".

A noise limit would also apply to a single person if they caused "serious disruption" or if they "may have a relevant impact on" people nearby. UK government

BBC reported that in a report highly critical of the bill, the committee, which advises MPs and peers on the compatibility of all government bills with human rights laws, called for "statutory protection" for the right to hold protests to be introduced.

The report also said the language used in the bill left an "excessive degree of judgement in the hands of a police officer".

And it described the proposed limits on single-person protests as "unprecedented".

This legislation comes after repeated city centre occupations by the Extinction Rebellion movement - and last year's toppling of the statue of a Bristol slave trader and municipal benefactor. UK government

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Source: BBC

Image source: BBC

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”