NEU annual conference - Suggested amendment: Right to Protest

The motion on defending the right to protest is OK, but would be improved by being broadened out beyond the specific case it refers to, and being updated in light of the legal ruling that the ban on Palestin Action is unlawful.

Amendment to Motion 076: Defend the right to protest

Conference notes:
ADD
7. and welcomes the High Court ruling on 13 February 2026 that Parliament’s decision to proscribe Palestine is unlawful
8. the arrests of climate campaigners in 2024 and 2025, including at a meeting in the Friends House in London and at their personal homes, including in supported accommodation
9. that the police repeatedly extended the bail of arrestees, despite finding no evidence against them
10. that rather than repeal the Tories’ 2023 Public Order Act, the Labour government has extended its scope, adding ‘life sciences infrastructure’, including animal research and breeding facilities, to its designation of key national infrastructure, restricting the right to protest at these sites.

Conference believes:
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v. that the police are abusing their arrest and bail powers to intimidate campaigners and infringe on their right to protest

Conference instructs the executive to:
AMEND b.
b. demand that the government immediately end the ban on Palestine Action, in line with the High Court ruling
ADD
e. demand the repeal of the 2023 Public Order Act
f. demand that police forces adopt a protocol for arrests in supported accommodation that fully meets the needs and rights of residents to support, due process and freedom from fear and intimidation.