Member

It is true that there is a condition in the Bill that persons of reasonable firmness should be deterred from worshipping there or carrying out religious activities before the right to restrict would kick in. That could be the case in any demonstration that was local and might keep people of reasonable firmness away. The reality is that what the Government were trying to do when they drafted that clause was to protect worshippers from sectarian demonstrations by opponents of those worshippers, and from hate speech. It is about, as was rightly acknowledged, protecting Jewish people near synagogues and Muslims in mosques. It is about protecting against religious discrimination, but I regret that we may hear from the Minister the suggestion that we should agree to this clause without the specificity that is provided by our amendments on the basis that the police do not have to make a distinction—that was the basis that was raised in Committee. It is up to them, it is said, but the Bill is about making appropriate provision in law for the police to have powers to restrict protests in particular circumstances and in those circumstances only.