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The entire booklet can be downloaded as a .doc file for printing here. If you want a paper copy, please drop us an email with your details to info@freebeagles.org.
This booklet is intended to provide advice to activists in dealing with some of the more common pieces of law, which you are likely to encounter during the course of protests. It does not deal with every possible law you might encounter but instead focuses mainly on police powers to control public order and how these can be challenged.
This is the fourth edition we have made of this guide and takes in to account the relevant changes to the law under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. These give substantially new powers to the police in relation to public order law and to police powers of arrest, detention and bail as well as new powers to take fingerprints and DNA.
This edition takes account of recent rulings in the High Court on the application of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and police powers to detain for breach of the peace. It now includes a briefing on police powers under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992, as this legislation is still used against activists. Also included are notes on new powers and laws now being used including civil injunctions, anti-social behaviour orders and penalty notices.
The advice contained in this booklet is correct to our knowledge as of August 2004. Nothing is this booklet is intended to encourage you to break the law. Please seek further legal advice before acting on the contents of this booklet. It is not guaranteed in any way, and is not a substitute for proper legal advice.
There is an on-line edition downloadable from http://www.freebeagles.org/. This site also contains articles on specific areas of the law, as well as a section on case law containing transcripts of relevant cases. In future this site will include a section containing legal updates to this booklet as and when the law changes. If you have any queries, contact us at info@freebeagles.org.
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This article is for information purposes only; its aim is to let people to know their full rights under UK law. Nothing on these pages is absolute as the law is always changing; if in doubt contact a trusted solicitor for further advice. We do not encourage you to break the law.
Please feel free to copy and distribute these articles to fellow activists, but do not alter the text in any way. These articles are anti-copyright for non-commercial purposes. Please visit www.freebeagles.org for the latest version of our articles and to learn about the freeBEAGLES Ethical Open Document License under which this document is distributed.
If you see any errors, or we have missed any changes to the legal situation please contact us as soon as possible, at info@freebeagles.org, as wrong information can prove costly to people's freedom.
© Copyright freeB.E.A.G.L.E.S.; last updated: September 2004