Police to reconsider £10,000 fine for NHS protest organiser
The £10,000 fine slapped on an NHS protest organiser will be reviewed.
Police have agreed to reconsider the decision to hit Karen Reissmann with the penalty after she organised a protest against the 1% pay rise for health service workers which breached coronavirus restrictions.
Ms Reissmann, 61, was given the fixed penalty notice by Greater Manchester Police for breaching rules on public gatherings over the demonstration in Manchester city centre on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who requested that the force reconsider, confirmed it would review the fine to check it was ‘done correctly, fairly and proportionately’.
The mayor added that the police have ‘no choice’ but to enforce coronavirus regulations, which prohibit gatherings of more than 30 people.
He said: ‘It is the case that the law has changed since last year on protests, so Greater Manchester Police obviously have to enforce the law, there is no choice about that, they have to do that, but they have to do so proportionately.
‘There is no, in some ways, excuse for people not following obviously what is the clear advice and guidance that GMP are asked to work towards, and they did inform people on the protest at the weekend.’
Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, added that police only issued the fine after attempting to disperse the crowd, and after the organiser had refused to comply or give further details to them.
She said ‘Whatever sympathy we would have, and I think there is great sympathy across Greater Manchester for that NHS protest, the police not only have to uphold the law, they have got to apply it even-handedly.’
The result of the review will be released at a later date.
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