Cornish members of an environmental protest group are planning on 'handing themselves in' this week for crimes they have yet to commit.

A group of Extinction Rebellion (XR) protesters are planning a trip to Camborne police station on Friday August 13 at around midday to hand themselves in for 'crimes' committed in the past, present and future.

The group claim their concern is that the right to protest peacefully is being eroded by the government, specifically by the proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) bill, which they see as a step too far.

According to XR, the British are justly proud of their right to have a voice and express their opinion without fear of persecution, however the group believe this right is gravely under threat and that the PCSC bill is a move to silence dissenters.

The protestors, many of whom have been locked up for protesting in the past, have detailed some of their 'crimes' which largely relate to various forms of protest, including "waving placards with dissenting opinions" and "sitting in the road singing songs".

The group fear that such activities, if the authorities deem them disruptive or annoying, could soon become targeted by the PCSC bill.

The bill, once passed will allow the Police to determine if a protest can go ahead, how it may proceed and how long it is allowed to last.

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The activists vary in age and profession, including teachers, gardeners, care workers and retirees.

Dan, a care worker from Redruth said: "I feel very strongly that we need to hold onto our right to protest, which is slipping away fast.

"Our police haven't asked for more power but the government wants to suppress us anyway.

"The acceptable parameters of effective protest get narrower and narrower, and the police already clamp down hard.

"The PCSC bill further criminalises protests, and could end our ability to speak truth to power forever."

XR Spokesperson Chris Bird foresees future crimes he might be forced to commit, due to "sustained government inactivity on preventing climate breakdown," and the coming years as extremely challenging when "corporate and government ‘greenwashing’ constantly dilutes the severity of our situation and prevents significant action from being taken."

Chris said: "More extreme weather events and subsequent social unrest will escalate during our lifetimes, according to the IPCC.

Experts tell us we face annihilation if we don't stop polluting our planet.

"Fighting to prevent this is our moral duty, and unfortunately the only way voices get reported in our current system, is by causing disruption.

"Even when this is peaceful and non-violent, police tactics are heavy handed, and this government bill gives them sweeping powers to suppress any form of protest apart from marches from A to B.

"We know these aren't effective, and so do they."