Written evidence from Dr Leah (CIL1202)

I submit this evidence as an individual and writing what are purely my own views.  I write due to my extreme concern at the human rights implications of the long lockdown as well as the effect to our democracy, economy, health, and the lives of the people. I consider the lockdown to be a catastrophe. 

Of the criteria you are assessing, I wish to submit paragraphs for four that are particularly relevant to me.  

The impact of lockdown on the freedom of religion and belief, and in particular on collective worship. Have interferences with the freedom of religion and belief been proportionate?

As I write, on 10th January 2021, I have not been able to go to my Methodist Church, or have Holy Communion for almost a year, with the likelihood that this will be forbidden or almost impossible to have for a very long time to come.  I consider this to be an intolerable interference in my freedom of religion and my right to practice my beliefs – a right that I thought was enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights to which the UK is a signatory. Admittedly, the State has only banned services for a few months.  However, since these injunctions were released, we have still been only able to meet with masks and separated at distances, and not allowed to communicate, and sign into Track and Trace, all of which have in practice deterred me from taking part in the extremely limited services that took place occasionally in slightly more relaxed months. Basically, the usual service that I have attended has not been allowed under law since March 2020. And such has been the level of fear built up by the Government, that my Methodist Church has not been open since the more stringent Tiers came in anyway.

We were told in March 2020 that this was a temporary measure, yet it will now last more than a year, and if the latest pronouncements of Professor Whitty suggest to me that it could be more than 2 years – and who knows how long after that.  I consider that if we are ever allowed to meet again as a Church – and I wonder if we ever will - the restrictions will likely have killed off many of our Churches anyway and that they will probably never meet again.  It is utterly wrong for the Government to impose restrictions that prevent freedom of religion in this way and do such huge damage to our religious institutions.

The human rights impacts of extended lockdown restrictions on those areas subjected to the most stringent, lasting, lockdown conditions. What have been the human rights impacts on family life and mental health for those communities? Are there ways that these rights might be better addressed?

For people such as myself who live alone and a long way from our families, the lockdowns have been devastating for family life.  Basically, I am missing out on seeing the childhoods of my Great Nieces and Great Nephews, such as seeing them crawl, or learn to walk for the first time, or to watch them grow and learn new things.  My relationships with them are being damaged, as they don’t know me as well as they might.   Statistically, none of them are particularly vulnerable to the virus, and neither statistically am I.  Yet, we are being prevented from enjoying normal family life for a very long time and prevented from making judgments ourselves. I am in a “Bubble” with one couple within my family, but they live the other side of England, so I fear that I am not in practice allowed to join with them.

Few of the politicians and media commentators who tell us to stay indoors seem to care about the effect that being deprived of family life does to us. In my view, it is an utter outrage that Ministers think they have the right to order members of the public not to see their own families, and to not allow them to make risk assessments themselves.

Policing of Lockdown.   Is the use of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for lockdown offences proportionate, fair and non-discriminatory? Is it clear why FPNs have been issued and are there adequate ways to seek a review or appeal of an FPN? Are the amounts of FPN fines proportionate? Has there been a disproportionate impact on certain groups?

Personally, I have not received any FPN notice.  However, I consider that the scale of the fines that individual police constables can decide to give, especially based on their interpretation of the monstrously complex and constantly changing laws, are utterly disproportionate.  To allow a constable to ultimately fine someone up to £6400 for not wearing a facemask, or £10,000 for someone taking part in an “illegal” gathering is an utter outrage.  Such fines could bankrupt or ruin the lives of many people, and yet are imposed on the spot.  Fixed penalty notices were originally designed to be small fines such as for parking offences, not such huge and life changing fines imposed on the whim of a specific police officer. 

I am especially concerned with fines such as those imposed infamously this weekend by the Derbyshire Police, on 2 women who were breaking no law and arguably were completely within the Guidance as well.  The police’s job is to police the law, not the Guidance.  But the Guidance itself says that people can go to the countryside for their exercise which is precisely what these women were doing. As a fully law abiding citizen, I personally have lost all faith in the police if they go around fining people for doing things that are perfectly lawful.

The right to protest and lockdown. How have lockdown restrictions affected the right to protest? Has the correct balance been struck?

It seems that during Lockdowns and most of the high Tier restrictions, protests are outlawed.  And indeed, from what I see in the media, the police are very heavy handed in crushing protests, even ones by lone individuals standing by themselves.  I find this an outrage that our democratic rights are suppressed in this way. We have appalling restrictions on our civil liberties for many months, and potentially years, ones that I disagree with completely.  Yet, we are prevented from lawfully protesting as is my right in a democracy. And fear of violence against me from the police, as I have seen reported, deters me from taking part in protests against policies I disagree with.

10/01/2021