‘Hostile, authoritarian’ UK downgraded in civic freedoms index

Civicus Monitor cites hostility towards campaigners and charities, and clamp down on public protests

The UK has been downgraded in an annual global index of civic freedoms as a result of the government’s “increasingly authoritarian” drive to impose restrictive and punitive laws on public protests.

The Civicus Monitor, which tracks the democratic and civic health of 197 countries across the world, said the UK government was creating a “hostile environment” towards campaigners, charities and other civil society bodies.