Thread by @netpol

As the government seeks to push through new draconian public order laws, thousands of people are demanding a fundamental change. So what does our Charter for Freedom of Assembly Rights actually say? netpol.org/2021/03/15/tho… #FreedomToProtest

1. Public assemblies need not only facilitation, but also protection

2. Public assemblies need protection based on equality and non-discrimination

3. Potential disruption is not an automatic excuse for denying protection for assemblies

4. The use of civil disobedience and direct action tactics are not an automatic excuse for denying protection for assemblies

5. The use of police powers to collectively restrict the right to freedom of assembly is justifiable only in exceptional circumstances

6. Although public assemblies are collective activities, protesters are individually rather than collectively responsible for their actions

7. Choosing to take part in a public assembly is not an invitation to surveillance and denial of privacy

8. Organisers of public assemblies, not the police, must decide their level of communication and dialogue

9. Independent monitoring of the policing of protests is essential for defending the right to organise and participate in public assemblies

10. Imposing financial burdens on organisers restricts the right to freedom of assembly

11. The police have a particular duty to protect the rights of vulnerable or disabled people wishing to exercise their rights to freedom of assembly

In the absence of any other meaningful guidance available to local forces, we are calling on the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing to adopt these eleven statements by endorsing the Charter for Freedom of Assembly Rights.

If they refuse to, then they need to tell us why?

Because every one of these 11 statements is based on international human rights guidelines and case law

Download our detailed briefing setting out the case for transparency and accountability in the policing of rights to freedom of assembly #RightToProtest netpol.org/wp-content/upl…