The government announced plans to give police in England and Wales powers to block or reroute "intimidating" protests near places of worship.
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Bev Turner has accused GB News guest Lord Walney of having an "authoritarian streak" during a heated exchange about new protest laws.
The clash came as the government announced plans to give police in England and Wales powers to block or reroute "intimidating" protests near places of worship.
Andrew Pierce said: "I was thinking about some of these ghastly pro-Hamas, or you could say pro-Palestine demonstrations, which have been held very, very close to synagogues.
"I've always thought that was a deliberate act of intimidation. Is that what these new powers are designed to stop?"
Bev said that Lord Walney has an "authoritarian " streak
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Lord Walney explained: "Yes, that's right. That has brought this issue into focus: the appalling way that synagogues have been targeted by pro-Palestine groups gathering outside them on Saturdays, interrupting, and sometimes forcing the cancellation of services at the synagogue.
"You've also seen, during the riots in Southport and other areas across the UK, that mosques have also been targeted. So, it's important that this will apply equally to all places of worship. It is a welcome move."
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Bev Turner said: "John, you and I have spoken before, and I know you have a fairly disguised authoritarian streak, if you don't mind me saying.
"I slightly worry that what we're seeing here are changes to the freedoms of protest in this country because we've imported a conflict from the Middle East, which is affecting all of our ways of life forever.
"Once governments get power, they never give it back."
Walney responded: "I don't think we should look at this as a fundamental change. I recognise what you say about the difficulty of needing to adapt or change our laws in response to things that feel like conflicts happening abroad, with cultures that can seem alien to many people."
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the changes as an amendment to the crime and policing bill.
"The right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, which must always be protected, but that does not include the right to intimidate or infringe on the fundamental freedoms of others," Cooper said.
The Home Office said the powers would give police "total clarity on how and when they can protect religious sites from the types of protest designed to disrupt them".
The measures will allow police to impose conditions on demonstrations where protests might intimidate people attending places of worship.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the changes
PAReligious hate crime has risen significantly in the past year, according to police figures.
There has been a 113% increase in antisemitic incidents and a 13% rise in Islamophobic crimes in England and Wales.
Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, said the impact on London synagogues of "repeated large, noisy protests, often featuring antisemitism" has been "intolerable".
The Right Rev David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, emphasised that people "should always expect to be able to worship freely, confident in their own safety".
He added that freedom of speech, including the right to protest, remains "important in a free and democratic society".