"At 9am on Saturday 25 July, a large part of Dover became somewhere you could be arrested for wearing a mask.
"Kent Police were expecting a far-right march and a counter-protest. They used a new power, section 157 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which came into force on 29 June, to designate an area where concealing your identity became a criminal offence.
"The march itself was between two points in the town centre, just a few hundred metres apart. The designation, however, covered ten wards, stretching ... several miles from the march itself. ...
"Arrest figures won’t tell us how many people this law prevents from taking part in public life. People who mask to reduce health risks are unlikely to be arrested, because if the choice is between attending a protest and risking arrest or removing their mask to protest, most people will simply stay home.
"... low arrest figures would not tell us how many people stopped attending protest areas or were forced to take a risk in order to do so.
"... the Home Office needs to redo its Equality Impact Assessment. It currently states, under two different categories, that there was no evidence about how the measure would affect people who mask for health reasons. Clinically Vulnerable Families is gathering that evidence now, including testimony from our members, in order to share it with a Parliamentary Committee."
"What Happened to Medical Masks? From a Public Health Protection to a Public Order Issue" - Netpol
https://netpol.org/2026/09/15/what-happened-to-medical-masks-from-a-public-health-protection-to-a-public-order-issue/
#UKPol #UKLaw #masks
