Authoritarianism in the UK
Around the world, it seems that authoritarianism is on the rise. Xi Jinping in China and Vladimir Putin in Russia are two of the faces of authoritarianism. But this rise is not limited to Russia and China. The 2016 election of Donald Trump in the US and now increasing attempts at voter suppression by the Republican Party have led to a backsliding of democracy in the US. The military coup in Myanmar against the regime of Aang San Suu Kyi is yet another example of authoritarianism becoming widespread.
Living in the UK, one does not have to look far to find evidence of authoritarianism. The far-right Tory government of Boris Johnson has announced they are passing the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which according to a July 2021 government policy paper will “allow the police to take a more proactive approach in managing highly disruptive protests causing serious disruption to the public.” But what does this mean? How much leeway will the police be given in labelling a protest highly disruptive? And more importantly what does this mean for the fundamental right to protest and for democracy in the UK? The way that the government intends to use the bill seem to amount to a tantamount ban on protests, and a serious erosion of democracy. As the Guardian columnist George Monbiot has written, “This is proper police state stuff.” The anti-democratic nature of the bill was compounded by the fact that the home secretary, Priti Patel, rushed 18 extra pages into the bill after it had gone through the Commons to avoid scrutiny. As Monbiot points out, there should be a great media outcry about this bill considering the implications of the bill as virtually anyone associated with a protest can be jailed for up to 51 weeks. The new amendments extend not just to showing up for a protest but also to advertising a protest on social media or encouraging others to attend a protest.
This bill is incredibly scary, and we should be doing all we can to oppose it. I understand that the UK is fundamentally flawed and unrepresentative with its first-past-the-post system. In this system, Members of Parliament only need to secure more votes than their opponents even if their total vote share is less than 50% of the total vote. In this way, all the votes of the people who voted for the losing candidates are rendered meaningless. Even with these flaws, the fundamental right of protest is necessary for holding the government to account. In democratic regimes, people should be able to take to the streets and demand better from their governments. Making protests illegal will serve to entrench the status quo and wealthy interests. But then again, the Tories know full well that their bill will make it easier for the wealthy to continue exploiting workers, people of colour, women, LGBTQ+ people, and the planet. The government has expressly cited Extinction Rebellion protests (against the exploitation of the planet) as evidence for why these draconian measures are needed. Therefore, the government has made it clear that it seeks to protect the status quo and elite interests by any means necessary including through the erosion of the UK’s already fragile democracy.
The movement that has coalesced together to resist and protest the passing of the UK’s policing bill is called Kill the Bill. On Wednesday, December 8, I attended the Kill the Bill protest with my girlfriend outside the House of Lords at Westminster. We observed that many of the protesters there were probably above 50–60 years old and young people. It was good to see the energy out there, and that there are people willing to stand up and protest the UK’s increasing turn away from democracy.
Protesters shined the spotlights on Westminster and demanded the right to protest. There were many people banging drums and playing music at the march as well. Shortly before we left the protest, many of the protesters stood in the road outside Westminster and blocked traffic. It felt good to be out on the streets demanding that the government be held to account for its blatant attempt at repression. Boris Johnson’s government has not only been repressive towards protesters but also to all citizens with the Nationality and Borders Bill.
The Nationality and Borders Bill would give the UK government the authority to strip UK citizens of their citizenship without having to give them notice. This bill is of particular concern for ethnic minorities who have multiple nationalities as the UK could revoke their citizenship with impunity and in effect render them second-class citizens who must always fear that they might lose their citizenship. When combined with the policing bill, the UK government is clearly targeting ethnic minorities and people of color because the policing bill expands police powers for stop and search which will inevitably be used more frequently on people of color. A further clause in the nationality bill makes it illegal to help refugees crossing the channel. So, in effect, authoritarianism in the UK has gone hand in hand with racism and xenophobia.
The increasing authoritarianism worldwide and in the UK, in particular, make it clear more than ever that we must protest and stand up for social justice (whether violent tactics are warranted and if so what kind of violence is a whole other interesting discussion). Racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and authoritarianism are not just going to go away. It is our responsibility to fight back against them. I understand that in many cases it is very unsafe to protest like in China or in Myanmar after the coup. However, in the UK, we should not take for granted this fundamental right of protest (since it is still legal to protest), and we should protest this racist and xenophobic Tory government before they make it illegal to do so. Democracy thrives when the people are out in the street and understand, participate in, and critique the decisions of those in power. If the UK is to swerve off the path of authoritarianism, then it will require people going out on the streets and participating in decision-making processes and actively speaking out for social, racial, gender and climate justice.
