Police forces are exploiting the wide powers granted under recent terrorism legislation to curb legitimate protesters, according to the government's own independent reviewer.

Lord Carlile QC was appointed by the government to publish annual reviews of both its Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.
Today he warned that the policing of two recent protests against the Iraq war and the arms trade - at RAF Fairford and at London's Docklands respectively - had given him concern for falling foul of the ethos of the emergency legislation.