The Right to Protest Under Threat? Law & Disorder Examines the Conservative Government’s Impact on Civil Liberties
Raj Chada, our Head of the Crime Team and one of the country’s leading lawyers on protest appears this week, as a guest on the renowned Law and Disorder Podcast hosted by Helena Kennedy, Charlie Falconer, and Nicholas Mostyn.
Raj, who is the first guest invited to take part in the series sets out the attack on our fundamental freedoms. Drawing on his unique experience of having been involved in nearly all of the seminal cases of the last decade, he sets out the changes that have occurred and warns that our rights are under attack as never before.
Having appeared on the Podcast, Raj reaffirms that attempts to suppress our fundamental rights to free speech and protest are contrary to our democratic tradition and indeed dangerous. The Government should tackle the climate crisis rather than drafting ever-increasing draconian laws on protest. They should stop allowing arms sales if they are used for oppression or crime against humanity, rather than vilifying those that demonstrate against that. They should applaud those who seek to highlight inequality and injustice rather than demanding their prosecution. Protest is often the vehicle of change from the Suffragettes to the Anti-apartheid movement, from the civil rights movement to the anti-war protests. By joining together collectively, often noisily, sometimes causing disruption, as citizens, we let the Government know our views and demand change.
Listen to the Podcast as Raj argues for the importance of these rights.
Episode Highlights
Hosts: Renowned legal experts Helena Kennedy, Charlie Falconer, and Nicholas Mostyn.
Special Guest: Raj Chada, Head of Criminal Defence at Hodge Jones & Allen.
This episode takes a comprehensive look at the evolving landscape of protest in the UK’s legal system. Key cases such as the Colston Four and Trudi Warner are scrutinised, shedding light on how recent legal decisions are shaping the right to protest.
About the Protest Team at HJA
HJA, led by Patrick Allen, remains committed to its original ethos of fighting for justice. The Protest Team have represented thousands of protestors from Extinction Rebellion, Black Lives Matter, Just Stop Oil, anti-arms protestors and Palestine solidarity campaigns. It has acted in high-profile cases such as Stansted 15, Colston 4 and Trudi Warner. They seek to challenge the state where possible and best protect the protestors that they represent.