With UK police under fire, Boris Johnson pushes new bill that could end peaceful protests

The UK is attempting to justify flagship legislation that critics say would hand the police powers to seriously curb the ability of citizens to protest. The bill also says more about a criminal who defaces a statue than assaults a woman.

Uncomfortably for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the legislation is being debated in Parliament this week, just days after officers from London's Metropolitan Police physically restrained attendees at a peaceful demonstration mourning the death of a young woman, Sarah Everard. Disturbing images of police forcing women to the ground have led to public outrage. The man accused of killing Everard is a serving member of the same police force. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 is several hundred pages long and covers an enormous range of issues that one might typically expect a government to address in multiple pieces of legislation. Tuesday will be the second day of its second reading in the House of Commons.