Just Stop Oil: Protest police chief says officers work within ‘liberal democracy’ after Braverman calls for tougher action
The national police chief for protests has defended the “absolutely appropriate” response to Just Stop Oil and said officers “work within a liberal democracy” after Suella Braverman called for tougher action.
Speaking at a conference in London, the home secretary told police leaders it was their “duty to take a firmer line to safeguard public order” and accused them of an “institutional reluctance” to use their powers against protesters.
Labelling Just Stop Oil “extremists”, Ms Braverman added: “I urge you all to step up to your public duties in policing protests. The law-abiding patriotic majority is on your side.”
But chief constable Chris Noble, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for protests, defended the approach taken to days of disruptive action targeting the M25.
He told journalists that officers were taking proactive action when they could, responding quickly and making numerous arrests resulting in charges.
“That for me is an absolutely appropriate response for what we’re dealing with,” Mr Noble added.
“We are open to feedback, we haven’t always got the balance right in the past, but from my perspective we operate within the law and we’ve got a responsibility to make sure what we do is proportionate.”
When asked by The Independent whether the police response to Just Stop Oil would change following the home secretary’s call, the senior officer responded: “There’s a fair challenge about how effectively we are dealing with these particular protests but we operate according to the law, we work within a liberal democracy and the answer to some of the challenges we face is not a policing answer.
“We’re part of it but we’re not going to arrest our way out of environmental protest.”
Several people have been arrested and charged over this week’s demonstrations, while three journalists detained while reporting on Just Stop Oil’s action were released without further action.
Following outrage over the arrests, the elected police and crime commissioner for Hertfordshire admitted that police “got it wrong” but then accused journalists of “facilitating the protests”.
During a panel debate on protests at the NPCC’s annual summit, David Lloyd said: “The editorial decisions that many organisations are taking on reporting Just Stop Oil mean that more protests are happening … you’ve got to ask a question as a journalist with a camera, are you facilitating, are you making the news or are you reporting the news?”
He denied calling for censorship but suggested that media outlets ask themselves if they are “serving the country best by adding fuel to the flames”.
Several media freedom and human rights groups raised alarm over Mr Lloyd’s comments, with Liberty calling suggestions for the media to change their coverage a “dangerous overreach”.
OpenDemocracy said it was journalists’ job to report the facts, “not to censor events to suit the authorities”, while Index on Censorship added: “A cornerstone of media freedom is allowing news rooms to decide what they want to prioritise.”
Senior police officers appearing at the NPCC conference did not back Mr Lloyd’s remarks on media coverage of Just Stop Oil.
Mr Noble called press freedom “fundamental” and said “On the vast majority of occasions there shouldn’t be any need to intervene with journalists at a protest at all.”
Speaking in the same debate, the policing minister Chris Philp said: “Journalists who are going about their lawful business reporting the news as they see fit should obviously not be subject to arrest.”
Mr Noble called Just Stop Oil’s tactics, seeing activists attach themselves to motorway gantries, “unreasonable and criminal” and accused them of putting lives at risk.
