Commenting on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood calling on police chiefs to use facial recognition at protests, Big Brother Watch’s Senior Legal and Policy Office Jasleen Chaggar said:
“The Home Secretary’s calls for a dystopian constellation of mask bans, facial recognition and ANPR to police lawful expression are a chilling indictment of our right to protest. No community deserves to live in fear, but a policing response to offensive or controversial views must not dilute rights that we all rely on.
The police must deal with criminal offences robustly, but stripping lawful protestors of their anonymity merely for expressing controversial views is a dark path to go down.
Protestors across the political spectrum, from environmental campaigners and anti-capitalism hacktivists to dissidents in Hong Kong, have used masks to protect their identity against legitimate concerns, including the loss of their job or income, press and media attacks, social ostracisation and unwarranted intelligence gathering by the police.
Allowing the state to restrict protest rights in relation to views we don’t like sets a dangerous precedent for us all when we want to challenge the status quo or speak truth to power.”
Notes
- Spokespeople are available for interview. Please direct enquiries or requests for interviews to [email protected] or 07730439257
- Find out more about our campaign at stopfacialrecognition.org