Just Stop Oil statement on Serious Disruption Prevention Orders
A new legal instrument ‘Serious Disruption Prevention Orders’ (SDPOs) came into force today, 4th April 2024. Netpol calls them “essentially anti-protest banning orders that can prevent an individual from associating with particular people (including contacting them online), going to certain areas, attending protests, or encouraging others to protest.” [1] [2]
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today:
“SDPOs are an authoritarian measure to stifle democracy and free speech. They will have devastating effects on the freedoms to protest. They will license more surveillance and contradict human rights. They should be deeply worrying to people of all social and political positions.”
“Individuals given an SDPO can be imprisoned, tracked, tagged, have their movements and associations restricted, blocked from using the internet, given unlimited fines… a free society does not do these things.” [3]
Last month, UN Special Rapporteur Michael Forst remarked:
“The repression that environmental activists who use peaceful civil disobedience are currently facing in Europe is a major threat to democracy and human rights.”
As the world passes tipping points that threaten the breakdown of ordered civilization, our politicians, captured by the interests of oil lobbyists and big business, are failing to protect our communities. Until we stop Tory oil, supporters of Just Stop Oil will continue taking proportionate action to demand necessary change. Sign up for action at juststopoil.org.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Just Stop Oil is a coalition of groups working together to demand that the government immediately halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK. Just Stop Oil is a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects.
Just Stop Oil ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been, to move out of the way for emergency vehicles with siren sounding and ‘blue lights’ on.
[2] https://netpol.org/2024/03/14/serious-disruption-prevent-orders/
[3] https://policeprofessional.com/news/new-laws-to-clamp-down-on-disruptive-protesters-come-into-force/
