Protesters demonstrated against extra powers for the police and in support of safer streets for women in Northampton town centre on Saturday (April 3).
The protesters met up outside BBC Radio Northampton in Abington Street at 1pm where speakers touched on the importance of protesting against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and for safer streets following the death of Sarah Everard.
The demonstration made its way down St Giles Street, past the All Saints Church, up Abington Street, up Wellingborough Road and then to Abington Park. It was followed by a small police escort to make sure protesters were able to walk down the roads safely.
Police claimed there was 70 people at the protest, while some of the activists said it was more like 300 to 400 people in attendance.
David Pearson, who attended the protest and is from Weston Favell, said: "I'm here because the government wants to take away our right to peaceful, disruptive protest. We are opposed to violent protest, that is illegal, and it should be.
"But peaceful protest that is not disruptive is ineffective, the government could just ignore it all day long. So what we need is our current right to peaceful, disruptive protest but the government is planning to take that away with this bill, so that's why we are protesting.
"Peaceful, disruptive protest has brought us a wide range of social benefits including things like votes for men, thanks to the chartists, votes for women, thanks to the suffragettes, labour rights, disability rights, animal rights, climate justice, there are all sorts of good things happening in our society because people have been able to have disruptive protests.
The demonstration made its way down St Giles Street, past the All Saints Church, up Abington Street, up Wellingborough Road and then to Abington Park. It was followed by a small police escort to make sure protesters were able to walk down the roads safely.
