LIBERTY claimed legal victory against anti-protest laws today after the government quietly dropped its appeal against a Court of Appeal ruling that the powers are unlawful.

The human rights organisation is calling for an urgent review of all arrests and convictions made under the regulations introduced by former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman and upheld by her successor.

Last month, the court upheld an earlier High Court ruling that Ms Braverman did not have the authority to change the legal threshold for when police can impose conditions on protests.

She had attempted to lower the bar from requiring “serious disruption” to anything causing “more than minor” disruption — a move the court ruled unlawful.

Liberty said the government’s decision not to appeal for a second time means that the legislation has now been quashed and the previous higher threshold for police intervention in protests has been restored.

Describing the outcome as a victory for protest rights, Liberty said the government must now ensure justice for those arrested or convicted under laws that “should never have existed in the first place.”

Hundreds of protesters were arrested under the measures, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was acquitted of all charges in February 2024.

The organisers of pro-Palestine protests were also targeted, including Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal.

He told the Morning Star: “This defeat of the government’s attempts to restrict our hard-won democratic rights of protest is sadly not the last time we will have to campaign on this issue.

“Right now, in the Crime and Policing Bill, the government is attempting to restrict our right to protest under the guise of protecting religious freedom.

“Our democratic rights are not safe with this government, and we must continue to defend them.”

Liberty director Akiko Hart said: “Our ability to make ourselves heard is fundamental in a democracy and must be protected.

“This government has finally seen sense and this backdown is a step forward for the right to protest after years of attacks by those in power.

“But while this case dragged on, the police used these regulations to funnel protesters into the criminal system.

“Justice now needs to be served for anybody wrongfully arrested or convicted under these laws that should never have existed in the first place, and the government must urgently review every case.”

The Home Office was approached for comment.