Petition Ensure Peaceful Protesting Outside Animal-Testing Facilities Is Not Criminalised
We call on the Government to repeal the recent amendment to the Public Order Act 2023 which, in our view, could effectively ban peaceful protests at animal-testing facilities.
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We believe such protests shouldn’t be a crime when they pose no threat or intimidation, and we consider animal testing is an area of open ethical debate & the ability to protest against it should be protected. Regardless of your stance on animal testing, it should be the right of every citizen to stand up and peacefully express their ethical concerns in an organised fashion, including for animal rights at an animal-testing facility. We believe suppressing peaceful dissent does not protect science or public safety: it erodes our fundamental democratic freedom, and the list of "banned protests" will only grow longer. In our view a peaceful protester is not a criminal for trying to protect puppies.
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Related activity
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Government responds to petition on Public Order Act 2023
The Government has responded to a public (paper) petition calling for a bill to repeal the Public Order Act 2023. The petition was presented to the House of Commons by Pippa Heylings MP on behalf of residents of South Cambridgeshire.
The petition asks the House of Commons to urge the Government to introduce a bill to repeal the Public Order Act 2023.
In response to the petition's request, the Government states the importance of the right to a peaceful protest but stresses the need to balance this with protecting communities from intimidation and serious disruption. Although views differ on the Public Order Act 2023, the Government aims to ensure that public order laws remain proportionate. Expedited post‑legislative scrutiny of the Act began in May 2025.
In October 2025, the Home Secretary launched an independent review of public order and hate crime laws, led by Lord Macdonald of River Glaven KC. The review will assess whether current powers are effective, consistently applied, and appropriately balance public protection with the right to lawful protest. It will report by spring 2026.
The Government continues to monitor public order and hate crime legislation and currently has no plans to repeal the Public Order Act 2023.
What are public (paper) petitions?
A public (paper) petition is a petition to the House of Commons presented by an MP.
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