FROM PROTECT THE WILD — AN EXPANSION OF POWERS TO LIMIT PROTEST

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Stop a dangerous expansion of police powers over peaceful protest Send a free postcard to the Home Secretary PROTECT THE WILD DEC 30 READ IN APP The Government is quietly proposing a major change to civil liberties in the UK, and most people have no idea it is happening. Through secondary legislation, ministers want to expand police powers over peaceful protest by classifying the “life sciences” sector, including animal testing facilities, as Key National Infrastructure under the Public Order Act. That may sound technical. It is not. This change would significantly widen the scope for protest restrictions, surveillance, and criminalisation, not just around animal testing, but across a whole category of lawful, peaceful activism. And it is being pushed through without proper parliamentary scrutiny. This is exactly the kind of decision that should raise alarm bells. Why this matters to us all This proposal is being framed as an issue about animal testing. It is not just that. It is about whether the Government can quietly redefine entire industries as “critical infrastructure” to justify harsher controls on protest. It is about whether future campaigns, environmental, climate, labour, community, or social justice, can be restricted using the same logic. Once these powers exist, they do not stay neatly contained. History shows that protest laws are rarely rolled back. They expand, they normalise, and they get used more broadly than originally promised. This is a line that should not be crossed. Why a postcard, and why physical post matters We’ve already sent off tens of thousands of emails to MPs and Lords thanks to your incredible support and through teaming up with Animal Rising. Physical post is a brilliant way to get the message heard by the Home Secretary herself who has the power to withdraw the proposals. Postcards sent to government departments are: Logged Counted Seen by staff Reported internally When hundreds or thousands of postcards arrive at the Home Office, they create a visible, undeniable signal of public opposition. They take up space. They demand attention. They cannot be quietly filtered away. That is why physical post still matters, and why this action is so important. Send the Postcard A simple action that anyone can take We have created one clear, simple postcard you can print at home and send directly to the Home Secretary, urging her to withdraw this proposal. No campaigning experience needed. No complex instructions. No cost. Sending this postcard is free. You do not need a stamp when writing to a government department. Everything you need is included on the A4 page. How it works Download the A4 postcard Print one-sided Cut along the line Write the address on the envelope Post it That is it. The address and full instructions are included on the postcard itself. Send the Postcard This is how proposals like this get stopped Government decisions like this rely on silence. They rely on complexity. They rely on people thinking, “Someone else will deal with it.” But when enough people act, especially in a visible, coordinated way, proposals do get withdrawn. This is not about disrupting society. It is about defending a fundamental democratic right, the right to peacefully oppose powerful interests without being treated as a threat to national infrastructure. If you care about civil liberties, protest rights, and the direction this country is heading, please take five minutes to act. Download the postcard. Print it. Send it. And if you can, encourage others to do the same. If enough of us speak up, this proposal can be stopped. Send the Postcard SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2025 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing