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Zhumagulov: Rallies should not turn into the power of the crowd.

Kazakh political scientist Eldos Zhumagulov called for a review of the law on rallies and drew attention to the experience of European countries in this direction, reports Zakon.kz .

On Facebook, he noted that in the UK, MPs have been discussing the Criminal Justice Bill for several months. There are several changes in the document that relate to protests and rallies.

For example, according to the law, participants in mass street gatherings are now prohibited from wearing masks. Those who do not comply with the requirement will be detained for a month and fined 1,000 pounds. In this regard, police officers will be given the right to arrest masked demonstrators.

The political scientist clarified that another change in the law is that persons who violate public order cannot enjoy the right to participate in protests.

"Such a move by the British government is due to the fact that demonstrators can block streets and damage public property. Experts say that this is directly related to the fact that in 2022, supporters of the BLM movement, under the pretext of combating the ideas of the slave trade, damaged the monument to Edward Colston. At that time, the court acquitted four people who participated in the demolition of the monument," Zhumagulov believes.

According to him, it is also prohibited to use pyrotechnics, fireworks and other similar means during marches and rallies. If the law is passed, those who used pyrotechnics during the protest will be fined 1,000 pounds. Demonstrators are also prohibited from climbing monuments. Those who do not comply with this rule will spend three months in prison and receive a fine of 1,000 pounds.

Recently, in England and Wales, because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, participants in rallies and marches violated public order, blocked streets, used pyrotechnics and climbed monuments. For example, about a thousand rallies have been held since October last year, and about 600 demonstrators have been arrested for disturbing public order.

According to the expert, the amended document is supported by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In a video message to the public, he said that "those who abuse their right to protest undermine British public safety and trample on democratic values." The bill is also supported by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the country, J. Cleverley and B. Harrington, Chairman of the National Police Leadership Council on Public Order.

"The fact that Western countries, considered the stronghold of democracy, in particular, the United Kingdom, offer such initiatives in terms of peaceful rallies, suggests certain reflections. In 2020, at the initiative of the head of state, the law "On the procedure for organizing and holding peaceful assemblies in the Republic of Kazakhstan" was adopted. This document has somewhat simplified the organization and conduct of peaceful assemblies. But when holding rallies, a certain level of political culture is needed. Its formation is important for organizing peaceful rallies. That is, the essence of the law is not to harm others if you go to a rally."

The political scientist said that in recent years there has been a violation of public order in our country during rallies and marches. For example, frequent protests by oil workers in the Mangystau region began to affect the work of local companies. Because of them, work is suspended, and enterprises incur millions of losses. Recently, West oil company announced that employees had been on strike for 2.5 months, losses amounted to 1 billion tenge.

We also need a law restricting actions in situations like the one described above. Why? If people take to the streets in Mangystau for no reason, groundlessly, the consequences seem to be severe.

Western countries, which are considered the birthplace of democracy, are trying to regulate rallies and marches, and perhaps in our country it is also worth adopting a similar document. At the same time, restrictions during rallies should not become restrictions on democracy. The foundation of democracy is responsibility. Rallies should not turn into an ochlocracy – the power of the crowd. A rally is a means of expressing opinions on events and problems in society. It is best that this happens only strictly within the framework of the law."