Police tell immunocompromised protesters wearing masks ‘get arrested and plead after’

Police have told a campaign group for the families of people suffering a reduced immune system that they will be prosecuted for wearing masks at protests.

The police also told them they will have to use their health issues in court as part of their defence.

The Clinically Vulnerable Families (CVF) group played a major role in the Covid inquiry and represents people who could become seriously ill, or even die, from infections most of us would shrug off. Immunocompromised people wear masks in public as a defence against such infections.

But the Police and Crime Act Section 157 criminalises the wearing of masks at protests and puts the burden of proof on the accused, rather than the prosecution.

Police employ Orwellian tactics

A supporter told Skwawkbox that group members have been warned that police said officers will pay no regard to medical conditions and will arrest them for wearing medical masks.

Police also told the group that the only mitigating action is to approach a police officer before the demo to explain. This will not prevent arrest, but sufferers should make a note of the officer’s number and then inform arresting officers so it is on record as mitigation in the consideration of whether to prosecute.

I was contacted last week by Clinically Vulnerable Families to ask me if I was aware that the Police & Crime Act Section 157 which became law last week criminalises the wearing of face masks at demos. The only medical defence has to be raised in court following arrest and charges. The onus is on the defendant to show that they have a genuine medical or clinical condition which requires the wearing of a face mask.

CVF have been in touch with Liberty who have been in touch with the police. The police told them that a person with a medical condition can report before a demo to a police officer, take the officer’s number and on arrest report this!!!

This will effectively present clinically vulnerable people (like me) or anyone with an underlying health issue with two options – either to attend a crowded demo with the risk of infection from airborne viruses (flu, RSV, Covid etc) or wear a mask and risk arrest.

It removes the right to protest and is, in my opinion, apart from being a breach of basic civil liberties, a breach of the Equality Act as it applies to disabled people.

Can you imagine the impact on a DPAC [Disabled People Against Cuts] demo or indeed a pensioners’ or older people’s demo. I believe that we should be fighting together with civil liberties and disability groups against this piece of pernicious legislation.

In a post to its Facebook followers, CVF elaborated:

🚨 WARNING: As of Monday, wearing a mask at a protest is a criminal offence in England & Wales.
This is now the law.

This is a thread on what this means for Clinically Vulnerable people…

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 (section 157) came into force on 29 June. Police can designate an area a “no-mask zone” for up to 24hrs around a protest.

Wear anything that conceals your identity there – a protective respirator included – and you have committed an offence.

What has changed:

Before, wearing a mask wasn’t an offence. You only broke the law if an officer told you to remove it and you refused. Now the *wearing* itself is the offence.

Masking is the crime.

“But there’s a health exemption, surely?” No. There’s a health defence… and that is really not the same thing.
* An exemption means you are protected.
* A defence means you have already committed the offence – and you will have to justify yourself.

In practice:

A Clinically Vulnerable person masking to protect themselves *can* be stopped, told to unmask, and potentially arrested first then only later gets to explain why. We shouldn’t have to go to court for protecting our health!

To be fair, this isn’t a blanket ban. It applies only in police-designated zones, for up to 24 hours, in England & Wales.

But that’s no use if you’re Clinically Vulnerable and a zone is declared around a protest you have every right to join.

📢 🪧 The right to protest is meant to be for everyone!

This law is telling Clinically Vulnerable people:

Take part – but you must choose if you want to simply risk your health, or risk arrest (and subsequently risk your health)…which is no choice at all!!!

If you are Clinically Vulnerable – or you just believe protest should be safe for everyone – follow us, share this thread.

Also, please consider writing to your MP using our template email. Find their email at: theyworkforyou.com/mp/
🙏 Thank you! 🙏
💕+ 🔁 #ProtectVulnerableProtesters

The Starmer regime’s destruction of UK rights and freedoms — and its contempt for the poor and vulnerable — continues right up to his exit.

Featured image via Ezaka Rakotondramanana/ iStock