The government intends to provide police in England and Wales with the authority to modify the route or timing of protest marches that take place outside places of worship. This measure aims to provide greater protection against intimidation.
The government will incorporate this new power into the crime and policing bill due to concerns about protests occurring near synagogues and mosques.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, stated, “The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, which must always be protected, but that does not include the right to intimidate or infringe on the fundamental freedoms of others. Therefore, we are providing the police with stronger powers to prevent intimidating protests outside places of worship, allowing people to pray in peace.”
These measures will permit the police to impose conditions on demonstrations that have an intimidating impact on worshippers. This may involve altering the route and timing of the protests.
The police will need to balance the right to freedom of expression with the right for individuals to go about their daily lives without intimidation and significant disruption.
The changes will provide the police with clarity on how and when they can protect religious sites from disruptive protests.
The government already allocates up to £50m to faith organizations for security measures at places of worship, faith-based schools, and community centers.This includes funding for Jewish and Muslim organizations.
Concerns have been raised recently due to protests near synagogues resulting in events being canceled on the Jewish Sabbath and worshippers staying at home out of fear during large demonstrations.
The Home Office also highlighted the targeting of mosques during violent disorder last summer and the distress caused to local communities.
Religious hate crime has significantly increased in the past year, with a 113% rise in antisemitic incidents and a 13% increase in Islamophobic crimes in England and Wales.
Mark Gardner, the chief executive of the Community Security Trust, expressed the cumulative impact of repeated large and noisy protests on central London synagogues, which has been intolerable. He emphasized the need for a balance that ensures all communities can attend their places of worship without fear of intimidation.
The Right Rev David Walker, the bishop of Manchester, stated that people and families should always be able to worship freely, confident in their safety.
The government also announced that the new national Holocaust memorial, to be built at Westminster, will be added to the list of protected sites. Climbing on the memorial will carry a possible prison sentence.
A new offense for climbing on a war memorial, already included in the crime and policing bill, will be extended to cover the Holocaust memorial.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/27/police-to-block-intimidating-protests-near-places-of-worship-says-home-office
