Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman to meet with sporting bodies and police to tackle protests
- Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman will meet with sports associations and the police
- They hope to combat disruptive protests that could ruin summer events
Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman will hold talks with top athletes and police to prevent protesters from “ruining events” over the summer.
Mr Sunak, Home Secretary and Sport Minister Lucy Frazer will meet with event organizers and national sports federations later this week to discuss the protests threatened by Just Stop Oil and Animal Rising.
This comes amid threats against Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix, amid mounting fears there will be more protests following last week’s protests at Ashes.
Daniel Knorr, a 21-year-old biochemistry student at Oxford University, was one of three people arrested after he ran onto the world’s most famous cricket ground and hurled orange powder in the air.
Knorr was charged along with co-conspirators Judit Murray, 69, and Jacob Bourne, 26, after the lord’s unlucky invasion of aggravated trespassing. They have been released on bail and will appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 31.
Knorr was carried from the Lord’s seat by Jonny Bairstow – a move Prime Minister Rishi Sunak backed in a column in The Sun.
He said: ‘As Bairstow shown at Lord’s that people want an end to this disturbance.’
‘And I will cooperate with the police and the sports authorities too Make sure we stop it.’
As round one got underway this week, Wimbledon was on high alert for similar disruptions, with organizers blaming heightened security checks for queues.
Organizers of the Grand Prix, which starts later this week, are also concerned about possible protests after a demonstration at the track at the previous race event last June.
In March, protesters who stormed the track at last year’s British Grand Prix escaped jail time despite the “risk of death” for Formula One drivers and marshals.
Louis McKechnie, Emily Brocklebank and Bethany Mogie, who were among five activists who were dragged off the circuit at Silverstone when two Formula 1 cars drove by nearby, were given suspended sentences at Northampton Crown Court on Friday.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Garnham also handed down 12-month prison terms to fellow protesters David Baldwin, Alasdair Gibson and Joshua Smith.
Gibson and McKechnie, both 22; Mogie, 40; Baldwin, 47; Brocklebank, 24; and Smith, 30, all claimed the protest, which began after a red flag was signaled to stop the race, followed a “meticulous” safety plan.
But they were found guilty of causing “an imminent threat of serious harm” by sitting “facing” fast-moving vehicles, the Crown said.
In recent months, the group have also disrupted the Gallagher Premiership rugby final at Twickenham and the World Snooker Championships.
Just Stop Oil activists were also responsible for blocking the Pride in London parade over the weekend.
Members of the group sat in front of a Coca-Cola truck taking part in the parade in protest of Pride’s collaboration with industries related to climate change and in protest against Coca-Cola.
Since then, five people have been charged under the Public Order Act with conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
It is hoped that the meeting between the prime minister, senior government ministers as well as sports bodies and the police will prevent further protests at sporting events in the coming months.
The Home Office declined to specify which police officers and sports groups are attending the meeting this week.