Description: In the first part, videos of protest footage are intercut with archival footage of historic movements – the 1918 non-violent women’s rights protests which led to the right for women to vote; Gandhi during the 1947 Independence movement in India; Martin Luther King advocating for the Black vote in 1968. All of our rights were fought for, not given. By introducing an offence around aggravated trespass in the Criminal Justice Bill, the government would be able to criminalise protests as well as give the police the right to set bail conditions.

The second part of the video concerns the rights of squatters, as the Bill would make it much easier and quicker to evict people. We see footage of a movement to occupy empty buildings in London. On 16th February, the Green Committee of 100 took over Artillery Mansions and opened it to the homeless, as one of the members states, “There are 868,000 empty registered buildings in this country. Yet, 600,000 people are homeless.” They advocate for grassroots movements in the country rather than depending on the authorities. An interview with a homeless resident at the Artillery Mansions explains how an address is required in order to apply for jobs, so such a tenancy scheme can resolve the first barrier to entry.

The third part of the video highlights the right to raves. Under the proposed bill, if a police officer believes 10 or more people have gathered for a rave he may order them to leave, even if they have the permission of the landowner. Footage of a festival in the field reveals young people dancing by cars and tents, jubilant.

The final part of the video concerns the rights of travellers – of which there were 60,000 in 1994. We hear the perspectives of the travelers and Ann Baily, the County Councillor who states that such a bill is ‘draconian’, as it could dispossess the families completely and create another housing crisis. Travelers – both historic and New Age – argue for the right to free land and the option people have to exist outside of the capitalist system.