Should protesters who block roads be removed by police and prosecuted?
Wilfully obstructing a highway is already a criminal offence in England and Wales under the Highways Act 1980. Since the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 the maximum penalty is 51 weeks in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. Police can also impose conditions on protests, and the Public Order Act 2023 added offences such as locking on. The Crime and Policing Act 2026, whose protest provisions took effect on 29 June 2026, extended these powers further. Police use discretion over when to remove or arrest protesters, and any force must be reasonable and necessary.
3 Opinions
It's a fallacy that blocking roads by sitting on them stops ambulances, fire engines and the like. I do remember the M25 block, what was being demonstrated was the consequences of continuing to do nothing to prepare for our future, regarding climate change. You basically won't be going anywhere, except on foot if you are able. No-one thinks twice about imprisoning others who block roads for hours, that do hold up police, fire and ambulance.
Ambulances, firemen and police need the roads. You can protest effectively without disrupting emergency services and potentially killing people.
Isn’t it bad enough that we already prosecute anti-genocide protesters as terrorists.