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

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Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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