A SILENT protest against a new bill UK Government bill which is currently going through Westminster took place outside Moray MP Douglas Ross' office on Forres High Street on Monday.

The demonstration, which lasted around 10 minutes, saw people – many with pro-protest placards – stand silently with their mouths taped shut in protest of the Conservatives' new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

The bill will allow police to put stricter measures on protests. It will give them the ability to set a start and finish time, set noise limits and punish potential rule breakers with harsher sentences.

Last night, the House of Commons passed the second reading of the bill, with MPs voting 359 to 263 in favour of the legislation.

Moray MP Douglas Ross voted in favour of the bill, which protestors believe is an attack on civil liberties.

Activist Simon Clark said: "We were wearing the tape over our mouths because it seems this bill is a severe curbing of protest.

"It gives the police and the Home Secretary a lot of additional power to control, limit and inhibit demonstrations.

"If you start to eradicate protest then people who want things to stay the same get their way. That's why we are here – to alert people to what is going on, and to protest for the case to carry on protesting."

Rachel Winter was another involved with the protest. She added: "I'm here because I want to highlight all the good things that protest brings us.

"Protest is a really important part of our society and it has helped to make our country better.

"If it wasn't for protest then I wouldn't have a vote. I wouldn't have a University education, I wouldn't be able to own property and I'd be the responsibility of my husband.

"I find it really frightening that we could be put in jail for ten years for causing a public nuisance – which is so subjective. It's an erosion of the rights people fought for over many hundreds of years.

"We don't know how much of this bill will apply in Scotland but, as part of the UK, many of us go to London to take part in protest because Westminster is where our laws are made. So it affects us directly."

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Moray's Conservative MP Douglas Ross outlined his support the bill He said: "It is important to outline that this bill mostly applies to England.

"The provisions that apply in Scotland are around road traffic offences, cross border warrants and the management of sex offenders.

"All other aspects of justice policy in Scotland are already devolved to the Scottish Parliament and are not affected by this legislation.

"Given the areas that this bill influences on people here in Moray, I will be supporting it to enhance road traffics regulations, arrest warring and the management of sex offenders."

SNP and Labour MPs, meanwhile, voted against the bill.

Moray's SNP MSP Richard Lochhead added: "I’m pleased that my SNP colleagues at Westminster will be voting against this flawed bill, which will impose disproportionate restrictions on our freedom of expression and the right to protest.

“The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and our societal freedoms, and any legislation that tries to curb those rights must be vigorously opposed.

“The sad events of the last week demonstrate the need for real change and serious measures to tackle violence against women, but as many people have pointed out the Tory Government’s Police Bill would mean you could potentially get a longer sentence for damaging a statue of a slave owner than for raping a woman.

“Tory Ministers have their priorities all wrong – this Police Bill should be scrapped.”