Protesters blocking roads face up to 12 months in prison as Public Order Act comes in

Protesters who block roads will face up to a year in prison from today as measures in the Public Order Act come into force.

The Act received royal assent on Tuesday (2 May) and will give police powers to stop disruption at major sporting and cultural events this summer in England and Wales, the Home Office said.

A new offence of “interfering with key national infrastructure” such as oil refineries, airports and railways could carry a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and an unlimited fine.

Anyone who “locks on” to other people, objects or buildings could go to prison for six months and face an unlimited fine.

Officers will also be able to search protesters for padlocks, glue and digging tools, with people intending to use them to cause disruption also facing criminal charges.

The tougher penalties come following recent Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil’s latest protests and disruption on the streets of London. The new law is aimed at curbing the guerrilla tactics used by these groups.

It also comes into force ahead of the King’s coronation which anti-monarchists have vowed to protest against.

Human rights activists have accused the government of trying to suppress freedom of speech with the new law. Last week the U.N. human rights chief called on the government to reverse legislation that would clamp down on protests.

But the government said the new powers are needed to prevent a small minority, who have been protesting mainly over environmental issues, disrupting the lives of the wider public.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the legislation was "deeply troubling" and that it imposed restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly that are "neither necessary nor proportionate".

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “The public shouldn’t have their daily lives ruined by so called ‘eco-warriors’ causing disruption and wasting millions of pounds of taxpayer money.

“The selfish minority must not be allowed to get away with this. We are giving our police and courts the tools they need to stop this chaos and I back them in making full use of these powers.”