* The anxiety of Liberal-minded men in all parties that
the Bill may be used to interfere with perfectly legitimate expressions of opinion was not -relieved in the 'debate. One sentence in particular in Sir John Simon's speech, Which was londly cheered by the Right, gave them con- siderable cause for alarm. It was that in Which, referring to the new powers given to the police in control of proCessions, he said that they might include " require- ments with reference, say, to provocative banners." That seems to involve a most questionable' limitation on the right of public protest and Mr. Churchill muttered an interruption— " would a banner inscribed ' Down with the Houk of Lords ' be regarded as provocative ? " But "the biggest fight in Conunittee will be on Clause 6, in which the onus of prosecution for the breaking-up of a meeting is deliberately placed on the organisers of the meeting and not on the police. An amendment to delete that clause has the backing of representatives from every section of the Government supporters. Sir John Simon, though he used powerful arguments against police prosecutions, clearly showed that he had an open mind on the subject. It may well be that he will bow to the sense of the House and agree to an important change in this clause.
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