Violent Protesters To Be Jailed Within 24 Hours Through Fast-Tracked Justice

Violent protesters are to be jailed within 24 hours in a bid to help diffuse disorder.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has told magistrates to extend their opening hours and fast-track cases of protesters who cause criminal damage or are involved in assaults, according to The Times.

The plan was drawn up in partnership with Home Secretary Priti Patel and is based on the response to the London riots in 2011.

The Government also plans to double maximum sentences for assaulting emergency workers to two years, The Times reports.

It comes amid fears of potentially violent clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and far-right demonstrators, who plan to defend memorials across the capital - many of which have now been boarded up.

A 'patriotic unity' event has been planned at Winston Churchill's statue in Westminster, which was spray-painted with graffiti last weekend and which has since been encased in a protective covering.

Due to threats of violence, Black Lives Matter has cancelled a protest that was due to take place at Hyde Park tomorrow (Saturday).

BLM LDN organisers wrote in a post: "We want the protests to be a safe space for people to attend. However, we don't think it will be possible with people like them present."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has also urged Black Lives Matter protesters to stay at home this weekend.

PA

He said: "I'm extremely concerned that further protests in central London not only risk spreading Covid-19, but could lead to disorder, vandalism, and violence. Extreme far-right groups who advocate hatred and division are planning counter-protests, which means that the risk of disorder is high.

"Be in no doubt these counter-protests are there to provoke violence, and their only goal is to distract and hijack this important issue. Staying home and ignoring them is the best response this weekend."

Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said he fears it could be a long summer of discontent, given the current unrest and the impact of the pandemic and lockdown.

He said: "We are going into the summer period, which is always a challenging period in relation to to incidents and disorder.

"And of course now we do have the additional factor of the extraordinary movement of Black Lives Matter, and people's feelings about inequality. So of course, when you put all of that together, that has the potential... to cause concern."

Topics: UK News, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey