The Pagan Federation has joined faith and belief leaders from across the UK in signing this joint letter because the right to peaceful protest is an important part of a healthy democratic society and a protection relied upon by many communities, including minority faith groups.
As an organisation committed to equality, religious freedom, and the advancement of human rights, we believe that any restrictions placed upon lawful protest should be clear, proportionate, and carefully defined.
We share the concerns expressed by fellow signatories that the proposed ‘cumulative disruption’ clause may create uncertainty around the lawful exercise of peaceful protest rights.
Our decision to support this letter reflects our ongoing commitment to the fair treatment of all communities and to the protection of fundamental civil liberties.
PRESS RELEASE
13/4/26
Britain’s faith communities: don’t silence peaceful protest
Leaders from across the UK’s faith spectrum have come together to urge MPs to remove a clause from the Crime and Policing Bill that could shut down lawful, conscience-led protest.
The joint letter, coordinated by Quakers in Britain and signed by Bishop Mike Royal, Rabbi Gabriel Kanter-Webber, Lord Indarjit Singh and 16 other faith and belief leaders, warns that the Bill’s new ‘cumulative disruption’ clause is too vague and too broad.
The clause requires police to consider previous and planned protests in the same area when deciding whether to impose conditions on a demonstration.
“It could mean that we are stopped from demonstrating because another protest previously took place in the same area, even if it was on a completely different issue,” signatories wrote.
The letter comes as the Bill returns to the House of Commons on 14 April following its Lords third reading on 25 March.
The Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist leaders say that despite their differences, they share a common commitment to love and justice.
Members of all their communities are led by conscience to protest peacefully on issues that matter to them, they said.
And they point out that peaceful protest has often involved cumulative action. Campaigns that changed the world from the suffragettes to communities standing up against fracking were built on repeated, sustained demonstration.
Their concern is shared widely. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has called the clause too broadly drafted.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly recently told UK civil society organisations and MPs that she was seriously concerned about these repressive new laws and the clause on cumulative disruption in particular
This Bill is the third piece of anti-protest legislation in recent years.
“Peaceful protest motivated by faith, belief and love should be celebrated, not criminalised. We urge the government and MPs to drop the clause on cumulative disruption,” the letter says.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information or interviews:
Grace Da Costa,
Public Affairs and Media Manager
Quakers in Britain
07958 009703
@mediaquaker.bsky.social
media@quaker.org.uk
- The full letter and list of signatories can be found here.
- The Crime and Policing Bill completed its Lords third reading on 25 March 2026 and returns to the House of Commons for consideration of amendments.
- The ‘cumulative disruption’ clause (Amendment 372) amends sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has noted that neither ‘cumulative’ nor ‘area’ is defined in the amendment.
- UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst visited the UK in January 2024 and expressed serious concern about the direction of anti-protest legislation. The Court of Appeal ruled in May 2025 that parts of the Public Order Act 2023 were unlawful.