I have always been a law abiding person and don't see that changing. I believe in the rule of law.

I have never had a bad experience with a police officer, although I know some who have, and have felt I could trust them. I am also aware of what the term "abuse of power" means.

Abuse of power is when an entity does something it knows may be wrong but does it anyway because they not only have a majority, but feel they will get away with it.

The recent "anti-protest Bill" has caused a wave of revulsion across the country because it is obviously badly drawn up, hastily concocted, not properly scrutinised and is clearly being pushed through under the cover of darkness called coronavirus.

It is also because the present government have a majority. And they don't want us to look too closely at what they're doing.

Reports have been withheld which should be in the public domain. It seems to be never "the right time" to scrutinise their handing of the pandemic.

Sir Geoffrey Cox QC tried to justify the maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment for defacing a statue against the five years' prison sentence for raping a woman.

Trying to justify the unjustifiable should be an offence in itself. He should know better.

But no, he spoke of statues as sometimes regarded as "sacred beings" by some. Where are his priorities?

The antics of the Brexit shouter would be deemed criminal behaviour under the terms of this Bill.

Peaceful single person protest will get you a criminal record. Does that seem right?

Protests are sometimes necessary and often bring about change for the better for common people who have been oppressed, maltreated and ignored by those who have power over them. A few examples, in no chronological order, are as follows:

No Tolpuddle Martyrs – no right to form a union

No suffragettes – no votes for women

No Chartists – no Great Reform Act 1832

No General Strike – no fair pay laws

I could go on but the point is that when problems in society arise, and no-one seems to be listening, the public have no other alternative but to campaign, demonstrate and protest. Protest leads to progress.

Violent protests rarely work and non-violent direct action is the best way to be. That's why Extinction Rebellion has this ethos at its core.

Our right to peaceful protest is a fundamental human right. The Tories will try to undermine this, make no mistake.

Those who gathered in Bristol on Sunday March 21, up to 3,000 of them, were perfectly peaceful when they gathered, perfectly peaceful when they walked, for the whole time they were there.

People had largely gone home before the violent element arrived and caused unforgivable damage – not only to the police and vehicles, but to the reputation of people who only want to protest peacefully.

All demonstrations cause some disruption – what would be the point otherwise? Attention has to be drawn to pressing issues.

And what more pressing issue is there today than the imminent extinction of life on Earth? That and the pressing issue of a UK government which tries to pass unjust laws and seeks to hide from the law itself regarding malpractice in governing its people.

Their first responsibility is to keep us all safe – laws like the latest police bill are designed to make us vulnerable, destroy our confidence and disrupt law-abiding and peaceful communities.

They also make life more difficult for the police and destroy any trust we may have in them. That is how societies are broken.

By Laura Sørensen