THIS week in Herefordshire as much as anywhere else the policing of the Sarah Everard vigil at Clapham Common, London, has been much discussed.

There are those who are disturbed by the response of the Metropolitan Police to the tribute.

But there are others who believe the protesters should not have gathered there in the first place, as they were putting others at risk by breaching coronavirus regulations.

Meanwhile, a piece of legislation likely to have an enormous impact on people’s right to protest long after questions about the safety of doing so during a pandemic have subsided cleared another hurdle in the House of Commons.

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MPs voted 359 to 263 at the second reading of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Among other things, it will give police more powers to tackle “non-violent” protests that are significantly disruptive to the public or access to Parliament.

It is aimed at, for instance, demonstrations about climate change that have brought traffic to a standstill in towns and cities, and in one case halted distribution of national newspapers.

We all rage at the inconvenience such protests cause, and the Hereford Times believes some of them to be dangerously misguided.

But we allow politicians to tamper with our freedom to protest at our peril. The next cause deemed to be unacceptable might well be yours!