Violent protesters ‘could be jailed within 24 hours’ amid fears of demonstration clashes

People could be jailed within 24 hours of arrest under new plans, according to newspaper

Violent protesters could be jailed within 24 hours of being arrested as authorities attempt to deter trouble at marches across the UK, according to reports.

The fast-track court plans come as more Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations, as well as far-right counter-protests, are expected this weekend.

Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, has told magistrates to use a similar model to the one used in the response to the 2011 riots, according to The Times.

The plans will lead to people suspected of causing vandalism, criminal damage or assaulting a police officer being jailed within 24 hours of their arrest in an attempt to defuse disorder.

The proposals have reportedly been drawn up by Mr Buckland and Priti Patel, the home secretary.

The government will also reportedly publish a consultation on plans to double maximum sentences for assaulting emergency workers to two years.

Scaffolding and boards were erected around the Cenotaph and Winston Churchill statue in Westminster on Thursday evening, following the monuments being vandalised during previous protests.

After consecutive weekends of BLM demonstrations, far-right group the Democratic Football Lads Alliance has called on supporters to travel to London to protect monuments.

Far-right figure Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has also expressed his support.

BLM organisers in London have already cancelled one protest in Hyde Park on Saturday, warning “many hate groups” were threatening the safety of demonstrators.

“We want the protests to be a safe space for people to attend however we don’t think it’ll be possible with people like them present,” a statement posted online by the BLM LDN Movement said.

Protests against racism and police brutality have taken place around the UK – including Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh - following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck in the US.

The UK’s demonstrations have reignited a debate about the country’s imperialist past, and a statues with links to the slave trade have been taken down.

A statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century slave trader, was pulled down and thrown into a river in Bristol last weekend.

Tens of thousands took to the streets last weekend despite the health secretary’s warning against taking part in the protests due to the coronavirus outbreak.

People held signs in London saying “racism is a pandemic” and “silence is violence”.

The protests in the capital were largely peaceful in the day, although a “minority of protesters” became violent towards officers on Saturday evening, the head of the Metropolitan Police said.

Graffiti scribbled under Sir Winston Churchill’s name on a statue called the former prime minister “a racist” on Sunday.

A spokesman for Boris Johnson said that more needs to be done to eradicate prejudice and create opportunity for all in the UK.

However, he added that such demonstrations should not lead to violence, unlawful actions or the disregarding of social distancing put in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Additional reporting by Reuters