Isle of Man police have warned that people who block Abort67’s posters may be breaking the law.

A number of Manx residents have called for the group to be banned from displaying graphic images of aborted fetuses in public.

The police has issued a statement that states that to do so could potentially be illegal under the 2001 Human Rights Act.

It says: 'Isle of Man Constabulary and our partners have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes and out in public to ensure that the recent protests are peaceful and protect people’s human rights.

'The Human Rights Act states that people should be able to think freely, express themselves and be able to assemble/associate. This would form part of any peaceful protest, regardless of the subject matter as long as the actions of the persons involved were lawful.

'You can protest on either side of an argument but you can’t block the other side's protest.

'You can have banners but you could not cover up the other protestor’s banners. If you did you could be breaching their human rights.

'If criminal damage or assault offences were committed we would deal with those as per our normal policing role.

'The fact that people may have strong views about a particular topic does not change any of the above.

'We would like to thank the Manx public for their help in keeping these protests peaceful and protecting the human rights of all.'