Kill the Bill Brighton protest organised for this weekend

People are set to gather at the Level in Brighton at 1pm on Saturday in opposition of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Kill The Bill protests in the city have caused delays to travel services over the past several weekends.

Earlier this month, demonstrators accompanied by a samba band brought city centre traffic to a halt at the Clock Tower.

A spokesman for Amnesty Brighton said: “The bill gives the police power to ban protests, even one-person protests, if the ‘noise is seriously disruptive’, if the noise may have a ‘relevant impact on persons in the vicinity’ or if it ‘causes serious annoyance’.

Another Kill The Bill protest is set to take place in Brighton this weekend

“The implications for workers on strike and picketing are clear, picket lines are meant to be annoying and disruptive…to the bosses.

“What constitutes ‘serious disruption’ can be determined by the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, without reference to the courts - she who slammed the ‘dreadful’ Black Lives Matter protesters, who called XR activists ‘hooligans and thugs’.”

The controversial bill looks to increase the maximum penalty for criminal damage of less than £5,000 to a memorial from three months to ten years’ imprisonment, the same maximum sentence for non-sexual child abuse.

It would also grant police additional powers to restrict protests by imposing start and finish times and setting noise limits.

These limitations could be applied to a protest involving a single person.

Last weekend's protest follows weeks of action, which has seen support shrink since the first protest last month, where thousands were estimated to have taken part.

Protesters attempted to "storm" the shopping centre, but were quickly stopped by liaison officers

A similar scene occurred shortly after at Brighton Palace Pier, where officers from Sussex Police formed a line to stop demonstrators from accessing the building.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and the Government is absolutely committed to maintaining freedom of expression.

“But protesters who use disruptive and dangerous tactics – whether gluing themselves to train carriages or blocking traffic, including emergency vehicles – cannot be permitted to trample on the rights of local businesses and communities.

“These new measures will not stop people from carrying out their civic right to protest and be heard, but prevent misery to the public and the loss of millions of pounds to the taxpayer and businesses at the same time.”