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The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published revised legal guidance instructing prosecutors to consider whether protest signs, banners and slogans filmed and shared on social media constitute criminal offences.

The new rules require a comprehensive review of how controversial slogans or symbols could influence wider audiences online, well beyond those physically present at rallies.

Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson clarified: “This is not about restricting freedom of expression; it is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public.”

The update follows separate fast-track measures introduced earlier this month to ensure rapid judicial outcomes for public order violations.

Under the Public Order Act 1986, people found guilty of inciting racial or religious hatred can face a maximum prison sentence of seven years.