Hundreds attend 'Kill the Bill' march in Newcastle

Hundreds of people made their way to Newcastle city centre for a 'Kill the Bill' protest this afternoon.

They met at Grey's Monument for a rally and then made their way to the Civic Centre.

The event was designed to show opposition to the new Policing, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

It was one of several such events which took place today.

Currently, police have to show a protest may result in “serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community” before they are able to put restrictions on it.

They also need to prove protesters know they’ve been told to move on.

The new bill would mean permission for protests needs to be granted in advance and protesters could be fined £2,500 if they go ahead with a protest without permission.

Northumbria Police has urged anyone attending to ensure they remain Covid safe.

In a statement the force said:

The statement added: