Skip to content
  • Common Currency
  • Campaigns
    • PENWrites
    • Writers at Risk
    • Writers in Residence
    • Free speech in the UK
  • News
  • Events
  • Translation
    • PEN Translates
    • PEN Transmissions
    • International Translation Day
    • The World Bookshelf
      • Books
      • Authors
      • Translators
    • PEN Presents
      • Issues
      • Books
      • Apply to PEN Presents
  • Prizes
    • PEN Pinter Prize
    • PEN Ackerley Prize
    • PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize
  • Donate
  • Join
Home > Campaigns > UK: Voices of Protest – Our Letter on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC)

UK: Voices of Protest – Our Letter on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC)

Democracy dies without dissenting voices. Whether written down on paper or shouted through a microphone, such voices are often considered disruptive, inconvenient, and noisy to those in power – and that’s precisely why they are so important.

In recognition of the threat posed by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC) to these democratic rights, writers and free speech campaigners have written to members of the House of Lords to highlight the implications of the PCSC for freedom of expression in the UK, and to express their solidarity with protesters and activists threatened by the bill.

 

4 September 2021

Re:         The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (PCSC)

Dear Honourable Members of the House of Lords,

A noisy, disruptive, annoying nuisance – for those in power, dissenting speech can often feel this way.

Whether this speech is written down on paper or shouted through a megaphone, it has the same purpose: to disrupt the status quo. To sanitise or soften its delivery is to strike at the very source of its impact and blunt its ability to promote social change.

As writers and campaigners who rely on the power of the written word to advance these same goals we are therefore deeply concerned by the implications of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill for freedom of expression in the UK.

Protesters and activists are, like writers and journalists, public watchdogs – participants in civil society whose function it is to hold the powerful to account. We rely on these societal actors to promote accountability, advance social progress, and stand up for the rights of neglected minorities. Their ability to forcefully speak out is indispensable to a healthy democracy.

The rights and liberties we take for granted today weren’t won by being polite and quiet. They were won by challenging prevailing norms, making a noise, and getting in people’s way. The greatest movements for change in British history – such as those targeting poverty, women’s suffrage, or LGBT rights – all began with a group of people consciously deciding to create a nuisance.

The PCSC Bill represents a potentially existential threat to this type of disruptive speech.  We are, in particular, concerned about the following provisions:

– Making levels of noise a trigger for the imposition of police conditions on protests (Part 3, Clauses 55 and 56)

– Allowing the Secretary of State to issue regulations on the meaning of “serious disruption” (Part 3, Clauses 55 and 56)

– Creating a new statutory offence of “intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance” – with “serious annoyance” and “serious inconvenience” recognised as actionable forms of serious harm (Part 3, Clause 60)

As peers who have expressed a commitment to the principle of freedom of expression in the past, we are asking you to apply this principle with courage and consistency – and to stand up against the pernicious attack on free speech these provisions represent.

With the Bill now moving to the House of Lords, there is an opportunity now to remove these dangerous provisions. We therefore ask you to vote for amendments to remove Part 3 (Public Order) from the Bill.

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

Daniel Gorman, Director of English PEN

Philippe Sands, Author and President of English PEN

Maureen Freely, Writer, Translator and Chair of English PEN

Ben Okri, Novelist and Poet

David Hare, Playwright, Screenwriter and Director

Ruth Smeeth, CEO, Index on Censorship

Sarah Hall, Novelist and Short-Story Writer

Sabrina Mahfouz, Poet, Playwright and Author

Chloe Aridjis, Novelist and Writer

Sam Jordison, Writer and Journalist

Alexei Sayle, Writer and Comedian

Steven J Fowler, Poet, Writer and Artist

Linton Kwesi Johnson, Poet and Recording Artist

Yvonne Battle-Felton, Author and Academic

Moya Lothian-McLean, Journalist and Political Editor, Gal-Dem

AL Kennedy, Writer and Performer

So Mayer, Author, Essayist and Bookseller

Kit de Waal, Novelist and Short-Story Writer

Max Porter, Writer

Florian Grosset, Author

Juliet Jacques, Writer, Filmmaker and Journalist

Irenosen Okojie, Writer

Marina Lewycka, Writer

Paul Ewen, Author

Olivia Laing, Writer and Novelist

Courttia Newland, Author, Screenwriter, Playwright

James Miller, Novelist and Academic

Preti Taneja, Writer, Broadcaster and Academic

Nikesh Shukla, Author and Screenwriter

James Clammer, Author

Jodie Ginsberg, Chief Executive Internews Europe

Catherine Taylor, Writer and Journalist

Jo Glanville, Writer and Journalist

Join our mailing list

Sign up to receive the latest English PEN news and events.

SIGN UP
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Partners
  • Outreach
  • Jobs
  • Contact us

With thanks to our Core Funders

©1921 - 2023

English PEN is a company limited by guarantee number 5747142 (England & Wales) and a registered charity, number 1125610.

We use cookies to help us improve your experience on our website. By closing this notification or interacting with the website you agree to our use of cookies. ACCEPT Find out more
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT