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Emergency Powers and Civil Liberties Report [November 2020]

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Emergency Powers and Civil Liberties Report [November 2020] NOV 2020 @BIGBROTHERWATCH – EMERGENCY POWERS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES REPORT [NOV 2020] – bigbrotherwatch.org.uk @BigBrotherWatch About Big Brother Watch Big Brother Watch is a civil liberties and privacy campaigning organisation, fighting for a free future. We’re determined to reclaim our privacy and defend freedoms at this time of enormous change. We’re a fiercely independent, non-partisan and non-profit group who work to roll back the surveillance state and protect rights in parliament, the media or the courts if we have to. We publish unique investigations and pursue powerful public campaigns. We work relentlessly to inform, amplify and empower the public voice so we can collectively reclaim our privacy, defend our civil liberties and protect freedoms for the future. Contact Silkie Carlo Director Email: [email protected] Madeleine Stone Legal and Policy Officer Email: [email protected] Emergency Powers & Civil Liberties Report Published: 10th December 2020 Acknowledgements: With thanks to Sophia Turner for contributing research to this report. 2 Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................. 5 Emergency Laws ................................................................................................................................ 8 Health Protection Regulations ......................................................................................................... 8 Return to lockdown ..................................................................................................................... 8 Data for lockdown ....................................................................................................................... 8 The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 4) (England) Regulations 2020 .................... 9 Political exemptions ................................................................................................................... 10 Expansion of force ...................................................................................................................... 10 Fines ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Ultra vires? ................................................................................................................................. 11 Role of parliament ...................................................................................................................... 13 House of Lords ........................................................................................................................ 14 Accessible law ........................................................................................................................... 15 Enforcement .............................................................................................................................. 1516 Face coverings ........................................................................................................................ 1817 Businesses ............................................................................................................................. 18 Gatherings .............................................................................................................................. 19 Travel ..................................................................................................................................... 21 Lockdown fines ....................................................................................................................... 22 Lockdown prosecutions .............................................................................................................. 24 Ending lockdown ....................................................................................................................... 25 Divergence ............................................................................................................................... 26 Wales ..................................................................................................................................... 27 Scotland ................................................................................................................................. 28 Northern Ireland ..................................................................................................................... 29 Coronavirus Act ............................................................................................................................. 32 Contact Tracing and Self-Isolation .................................................................................................... 34 Health Passports .............................................................................................................................. 36 Government plans ..................................................................................................................... 36 Commercial plans ...................................................................................................................... 36 Surveillance ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Workplace surveillance ............................................................................................................... 38 Thermal surveillance ................................................................................................................. 39 Freedom of Religion ......................................................................................................................... 4143 Freedom of Expression ..................................................................................................................... 43 Free speech online ..................................................................................................................... 43 Freedom of assembly ................................................................................................................. 44 Case studies ........................................................................................................................... 45 Black Lives Matter protests ...................................................................................................... 47 Student protests ..................................................................................................................... 48 Councils and ‘Covid Oneview’........................................................................................................... 50 Universities...................................................................................................................................... 51 Private security...........................................................................................................................51 Covid marshals........................................................................................................................... 52 Police.........................................................................................................................................53 Fines and suspensions................................................................................................................53 3 Introduction “The British public has not even begun to understand the seriousness of what is happening to our country.”1 This was the warning from Lord Sumption, days before the second national lockdown was announced. Yet again, the Prime Minister instructed the public to stay at home and informed us of the suspension of our most basic freedoms, ahead of any parliamentary vote on the matter, absent legal authority. As expected, Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the second lockdown, having already had the lockdown announced to the nation, having received the text of the Regulations only the night before the vote, and having been fed data from models we now know to have been drastically wrong. Our parliamentary democracy is in rapid decline, particularly as the adversarial system has become defunct. The damage to parliamentary democracy, the rule of law and human rights has been made possible by the resounding failure of the Opposition to demonstrate courage in leadership. It will not be forgotten. There is no historical precedent to suggest that our democracy will spring back into full health ‘after’ this crisis, whenever that is – we will be living with the consequences of these days and weeks for the years and decades to come. In this dramatic month, England entered a national lockdown whilst devolved administrations dipped in and out of lockdowns and harsh restrictions. The maze of restrictions, tiers and regulations spanning the four nations is unnavigable. Understanding the current restrictions, even in one nation, is a purely academic task – as you will find in this report. The rules impose illogical and contradictory restrictions on social interactions, even among our own families. Never in modern history has a democratic state attempted to instruct citizens as to how and when they can see their children or their parents.
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