Britain | Out of order

Britain’s Public Order Act goes too far

The right to protest has long had limits. But a new law draws them too tightly

Police officers detain an activist from the "Just Stop Oil" environmental coalition as they attempted to block a road during a sit-in protest in London, UK, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. The coalition of groups are pushing for the government to commit to halting new fossil fuel licensing and production. Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Image: Getty Images

Over the past year British environmental protesters have pulled off some spectacular—and spectacularly aggravating—feats. At the National Gallery they upended a can of tomato soup over van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” before gluing themselves to the wall. On the M25 they climbed the gantries, forcing the motorway to close for hours. They have tunnelled beneath railway lines and chained themselves to bridges, halting construction and traffic.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Out of order”

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