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Written question asked by Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 July 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 July 2021. It was answered by Lord Greenhalgh (Conservative) on Thursday, 22 July 2021 on behalf of the Home Office.

Extinction Rebellion: Demonstrations

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the cost of policing Extinction Rebellion protests in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, and (3) 2021; and whether any of those costs have been met by the organisers of the protests.

Answer

The highly disruptive tactics used by some protesters cause a disproportionate impact on the surrounding communities and are a drain on public funds. The management of protests, including the tactics they use; their cost; and their resourcing, is an operational matter for the police. The PCSC Bill aims to allow the police to take a more proactive approach in managing highly disruptive protests and will increase the police’s ability to prevent protests causing serious disruption to the public,

During Extinction Rebellion’s protests of April and October 2019, the Metropolitan Police Service reported that policing operations for the two extended protests cost around £37m - more than twice the annual budget of London's violent crime taskforce.

The right to peaceful protest remains a fundamental tool of civic expression and will not be curtailed by this Government. Protesters are not charged for the costs of policing protests.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL1854
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Demonstrations Costs Police Extinction Rebellion
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk