The New Dark Age

Following the launch of “This is Repression”, our recent report analysing protests between January and December 2024, Netpol and the Article 11 Trust now seek evidence and testimony from protest organisers and participants covering events in 2025.

Our first “State of Protest” report covered the ongoing demonstrations against the government’s policy towards Israel, the jailing of climate campaigners and the culture wars against protest groups in advance of the general election. It argues that the aggressive police use of new anti-protest laws, coupled with a growing portrayal of protesters as alleged threats to democracy rather than a vital part of public participation, has grown so routine and so severe that it now amounts to state repression. We now plan to produce an annual assessment of the state of protest rights, with our next report appearing in early 2026.

We are particularly interested to hear about evidence and first-hand testimony – incidents you have seen or experienced yourself – on any of the following:

On the streets

• Aggressive police behaviour, such as pushing protesters around.
• Excessive force used by officers when making arrests.
• Arrests made for alleged ‘hate crime’ or under counter-terrorism powers.
• Racist policing including racist language or racial profiling by police officers.
• Random, unclear or harassing use of stop & search powers, especially new powers aimed specifically at protesters.
• Kettling protesters, particularly refusing to allow some protesters out of a kettle.
• Snatching any prominent individuals targeted for arrest from crowds
• Restrictions on movement, justified by officers as necessary to “prevent crime”.
• The targeting of Black, Brown and other racialised people or LGBTQ+ protesters for arrest.
• The mistreatment or targeting of disabled protesters and any failure by the police to facilitate disabled people’s right to protest.

Away from protests

• Examples of intrusive police surveillance, particularly aimed at members of groups that endorse direct action and civil disobedience tactics.
• Testimony about home or premises raids.
• Pre-emptive arrests for conspiracy when planning protests
• The use of unnecessary strip searches in custody.
• Police pressure to accept cautions or conditional cautions.
• Evidence of harsh and restrictive bail conditions.
• Examples of protesters arrested for allegedly posing a ‘threat’ to the safety of MPs or councillors through lobbying or engagement with their elected representatives.
• Infiltration of police or journalists into public meetings (online or in person).

This is not an exhaustive list – the scope of repressive policing of protests is changing and we want to hear your stories and testimony, whatever it covers.

Sending evidence to Netpol

You can share your evidence and testimony by securely emailing it to:

netpoladmin@protonmail.com

By sharing your evidence and testimony with us, you give consent for Netpol to use this information in our campaigning work. However, we will always maintain your confidentiality and will not share your name publicly.

How to write your statement

The statement does not have to sound like a legal or court statement, but should be an account of what happened to you:

• Who was involved in the incident?
• Where and when did it happen?
• How long did it take?
• What exactly did the police do, and how did that make you feel?
• Did it have any consequences for you so far?
• Are there any pictures or is there footage of what happened?

PHOTO: London, UK, April 19th 2025: Trans protest against gender ruling by UK Supreme Court, Monkey Butler Images / Shutterstock.com