Is protest still legal?

Summary

Have you ever been on a march or a demo? Maybe there is an issue which affects you, and other people like you, such as benefit cuts, a lack of legal aid, or the cost of living, that you think the government or council should do more to sort out. Or perhaps you feel passionate about climate change or racial inequality and want faster action. These are the kinds of issues that people protest about every week in the UK. The information in this guide applies to people in England and Wales. 1 Protest is still legal! 2 New protest laws 3 Problems when protesting 4 More help and information on protest 5 About this guide * Your right to peaceful protest is protected in law. * The government and police have always had the power to limit how and when people protest. * Recently new laws have given the police even more powers to control protests, and the courts powers to hand out tougher punishments. But you still have the right to protest! New protest laws have made the headlines recently. But despite these new rules, your right to protest is still protected by human rights laws. But the new protest laws mean that some of the things that get people to pay attention, like making a lot of.

Key information

• •Your right to peaceful protest is protected in law.
• •The government and police have always had the power to limit how and when people protest.
• •Recently new laws have given the police even more powers to control protests, and the courts powers to hand out tougher punishments.
• •Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act
• •Disabled people’s rights to protest without discrimination from Liberty and Disability Rights UK.
• •What can I do if the police discriminate against me from Liberty.
• •Liberty provides information on protest in general, the rights of disabled protesters, the rights of LGBTQ+ protesters of colour, and advice on human rights.
• •Black Protest Legal Support provides free legal information and support (including by providing legal observers) to people on protests which raise racial issues.
• •The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) has immigration information for protesters.
• •Green and Black Cross offer guides to dealing with police on protests including information on being Trans and protesting. They also offer training and provide legal observers.
• •Netpol provides guides on protest rights and a list of protest solicitors.
• •You can find information on protest from a range of organisations on Advicenow.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [Is protest still legal?](https://www.advicenow.org.uk/get-help/civil-rights/protest-still-legal)

Related topics