Cruelty Free International urges House of Lords to reject ‘draconian and unlawful’ Public Order Act amendments
Cruelty Free International
The House of Lords must reject illiberal proposals that would criminalise peaceful protest against animal research
Cruelty Free International, the world’s leading organisation working to end animal testing, is deeply disappointed that MPs have voted to pass proposals that would criminalise peaceful protest against animal research, and now calls on the House of Lords to reject them.
The proposals seek to classify 'life sciences infrastructure' (including animal research and breeding facilities) as 'key national infrastructure' under the Public Order Act 2023. Cruelty Free International suggests that this is a significant overreach, as such facilities cannot reasonably be considered critical infrastructure.
The current list of key national infrastructure includes facilities that support road, rail, and air transport; harbours; the exploration, production, and transportation of oil and gas; onshore electricity generation; and newspaper printing. Set against this list, the addition of life sciences infrastructure is clearly inconsistent.
The measures therefore threaten to unreasonably restrict fundamental rights to protest, which are protected under UK law and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The government has given two reasons for this change: pandemic preparedness and the need to protect life sciences companies. However, there is no suggestion that protesters interfered in any way with the development of COVID-19 vaccines, and pharmaceutical companies that have threatened to relocate away from the UK have said that their concerns are based on regulatory or economic pressures, not protests.
Existing police powers already address protest-related concerns, and there is no evidence that these are inadequate. In developing these proposals, there has been no consultation with animal protection or civil liberties organisations.
Cruelty Free International’s Head of Public Affairs, Dylan Underhill, said: “We believe that the draft regulations are illiberal, draconian, unnecessary, and almost certainly unlawful. Criminalising peaceful protest against animal research undermines fundamental freedoms and public accountability.
“This is an unjustified attack on democratic rights, and risks setting a dangerous precedent towards an ever-growing restriction of peaceful protest. It should have been rejected outright by MPs, but now the House of Lords must reject it to ensure these regulations do not pass into law.
“We are deeply disappointed that such a major change is being pursued through a process that does not allow for substantive parliamentary debate or public scrutiny. We encourage Parliamentarians to seek clarity on the scope of activities intended to be criminalised and to question ministers on the lack of evidence, the discriminatory nature of the proposal, and its compatibility with the rights of the British people to carry out non-violent protest in relation to a topic on which opinion surveys have repeatedly demonstrated strong public concern.”
Cruelty Free International is one of the world’s longest-standing and most respected animal protection organisations. The organisation is widely regarded as an authority on animal testing issues and is frequently called upon by governments, media, corporations and official bodies for its advice or expert opinion. www.crueltyfreeinternational.org
