PETITIONClosedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Protect Free Speech in Public: Amend the Public Order Act 1986
We believe that Section 5 appears to be the go-to legislation for potentially malicious arrest and prosecution. It requires no actual complainant or victim. To make an arrest, police simply have to believe that someone (incl. themselves) could be caused harassment, alarm or distress by words spoken.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
153
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 153/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 153/100,000
Background
We want the government to repeal Section 5 of the Act. And to amend Section 4A to:
- require the person who was caused harassment, alarm or distress to make a formal complaint to the police
- state that police officers cannot be caused harassment, alarm or distress under section 4A
- remove the term "insulting" as a criteria variable
- explicitly state what qualifies as "abusive".
We believe that nobody should be arrested for being overheard, or for using swearwords in public.