I need your support to bring a legal challenge against Greater Manchester Police who not only prevented my small covid-safe protest against the government’s planned 1% pay rise for NHS staff taking place but they also fined me £10,000.

I am a mental health nurse with over 36 years of experience and have spent almost my entire professional life working with patients in the NHS. I have worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and  worked on a number of teams taking on responsibility for  keeping the community safe. 

The protest 

This has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic year for NHS workers. We have worked tirelessly in the fight against COVID-19. Many nurses, doctors and other staff members have lost their lives to the virus or been extremely ill. Many still are. 

On 3 March 2021 the government announced that they wanted to offer  a 1% pay rise to NHS staff. This is insulting. Staff felt furious and frustrated that the government clearly has no idea of how difficult this year has been for the NHS workers. 

The NHS  is on its knees after years of  government underfunding which has been dramatically exposed by  the pressure put on it by this devastating pandemic. Staff are exhausted, overwhelmed and overworked. Even before this happened there were 100,000 unfilled NHS vacancies. We all worry more nurses will leave and our services will get worse and our vital work will become even more difficult. The 1% pay rise will not help prevent exhausted nurses from leaving the profession.  

The branch of the union I belong to called a protest. I agreed to act as the chief organiser. The location selected was St Peter’s Square as this is an important protest public landmark in Manchester. 

As a nurse, and being responsible for the safety of communities during the pandemic I ensured that the protest was to be safe. I was aware of what precautions needed to be put in place to make sure that the protest was safe and I did a thorough risk assessment and plan.

People were asked not to attend if they had any symptoms. The protest was to be small with no more than around 40 people. Everyone was to be socially distanced from each another in an outside setting. Cones were going to be placed down on the ground to make sure that everyone was at least 2 metres apart. Everyone was required to wear a face mask. Antibacterial wipes and bottles of hand sanitizer were to be provided. The protest would last no longer than 45 minutes and there would be stewards present to make sure that the rules were followed. 

Blanket ban on protest imposed by Greater Manchester Police 

After I arrived at St Peter’s Square, I was approached by police officers who told me that the protest was unlawful. The officers told me that protest is banned under the “COVID-19 regulations”. 

I was threatened with a fine and told that the police would notify my employer and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. 

I was forced to tell those who had arrived to attend the protest that it had been cancelled. I was then walked away by a police officer and surrounded by six officers. I felt really uncomfortable and intimidated. An officer told me that I would be fined £10,000 for organising the protest. I received this fine on 26^th March 2021. 

My legal case

My lawyers wrote to Greater Manchester Police to explain that their decision to prevent me from protesting was unlawful; That there is no blanket ban on protest and that the police had completely misinterpreted the law. My lawyers set out all the precautions I had put in place to make sure that the protest would be covid-safe and requested that the police withdraw the fine. 

The police have however stood by their decision, claiming that the £10,000 fine issued was “proportionate, legal, accountable and necessary in the circumstances.”

I have now instructed  my lawyers to challenge the decision to stop me from protesting and issuing me with a fine through judicial review in court. 

You can view the Pre-action Protocol letter here.

Why I need your help

I have an initial target of £7,500 to cover the legal costs of bringing this claim. If the police continue to defend the claim then it will be necessary to raise further funds to continue the work. I will need to raise money to protect myself against the police seeking payment of their legal costs from in the event that I lose the case at court. 

I would be very grateful for any generous donations to protect the right to protest and stand up for workers’ rights. 

I will keep you updated with developments from my legal team on this page. 

Campaigning against service cuts in Bolton

With my grandchildren