Ecuador’s election wasn’t free — and its people will pay the price under President Noboa
Vicious new laws attack the homeless
We need to reject legally targeting rough sleepers immediately — not wait until Labour comes to power, writes RUTH HUNT
Homeless man
Join the traditional march from Clerkenwell Green, which will bring together countless international workers’ organisations in a statement against the far right
The money tap to anti-Cuban agitators will never be shut off under Trump
Mountains of research show that hardcore material harms children, yet there are still no simple measures in place
We face austerity, privatisation, and toxic influence. But we are growing, and cannot be beaten
Trump’s economic adviser has exposed the actual strategy: forcing other countries to provide financial support for US hegemony
Activist Angie Zelter has been arrested more than a hundred times. She’s not stopping now, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
AN important motion was passed at Labour Party conference, which didn’t get the airtime or column inches it deserved. This motion committed the party to ending all powers to criminalise begging and rough sleeping. This would repeal many of the powers introduced in the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, including Public Space Protection Orders.
Over 60 councils, both Labour and Conservative, are now using Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), with 30 per cent using orders that specifically target the homeless, under the 2014 draconian measures introduced while Theresa May was home secretary.
This is despite updated guidelines issued by the Home Office in 2017 that said: “PSPOs should not be used to target people solely on the fact that they are homeless or rough sleeping, as this in itself is unlikely to mean their behaviour is having an unreasonably detrimental effect on the community’s quality of life, which justifies imposing restriction using a PSPO.”
More from this author
By making Personal Independence Payments harder to access, Labour is creating another barrier for those already struggling with soaring care costs, workplace discrimination and prejudiced employers, argues RUTH HUNT
The NHS continues to say Covid spreads primarily through ‘droplet and touch’ while the WHO emphasises airborne transmission, meaning vulnerable patients and healthcare workers face unnecessary risks, reports RUTH HUNT
Behind the Samaritans’ promise to always listen, callers face secret restrictions and automated blocks while the charity admits setting limits without clearly warning ‘frequent’ users they risk getting cut off — or why, writes RUTH HUNT
What’s needed are more truly accessible homes, radical reform of the private sector to protect disabled tenants, and a less myopic view of the housing market focused on ‘homeowners,’ argues RUTH HUNT
