header-logo header-logo

03 September 2021 / Alec Samuels
Issue: 7946 / Categories: Features , Public , Human rights , Criminal
printer mail-detail

Protestors & the highway: striking a balance?

Alec Samuels discusses the pressing need for compromise between protesters & the public

We live in a free society under the rule of law. We understand that the exercise of a right may conflict with the exercise of another person’s right, and balance and resolution must be found. Every right carries a corresponding duty or responsibility to respect the rights of others.

Protesters appear and cause obstruction and interference to others. They may be protesting about any number of things. The arms trade. Nuclear weapons. Government policy overseas. A party political issue. Climate change and pollution. COVID regulations. Hunting. Grouse shooting. Low prices for farm produce. A proposed new road or railway. A proposed new speed limit. Religious persecution. Immigration.

Other people may agree with them, or not. But the inescapable fact is that the highway is obstructed, the conduct of normal business is prevented or impeded, access to and egress from private property is prevented or impeded, and indeed private property may be trespassed upon

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
Behind the profession’s polished exterior, lawyers are ‘internally drained rather than physically tired’, according to a stark assessment of burnout in legal practice
Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
back-to-top-scroll