Right to protest

Peaceful protest is one of the most effective ways to make our voices heard.

In the face of injustice, and when groups or issues are overlooked by the powerful, protest is an effective channel for enacting change.

Votes for women, the end of slavery, Indian independence, anti-apartheid in South Africa and LGBTI rights - these movements all used protest to bring about positive change for our human rights.

Our voices matter. And when we come together we can’t be ignored.

Right now, in countries where protest has been powerful, and democracies and societies have benefitted, our right to organise and demonstrate is under threat.

In the UK, new laws are constraining our ability and the space to protest peacefully.

Our government is suppressing views they don’t agree with, and giving in to pressure from vested interests.

This is a threat to us all.

We deserve to live in a society where we are not punished by our own government for demanding a better world.

Protest is protected in the UK by Article 11 of the Human Rights Act, which safeguards freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association and Article 10, the right to Freedom of Expression.

But when peaceful climate protesters are hit with huge prison sentences and sweeping restrictions on their activities, and women’s rights activists are manhandled by police, it’s clear that our ability to exercise these rights are at risk.

In July 2025, the government banned Palestine Action by classifying it as a terrorist group. This made expressing support for the group a criminal offence.

Since then, over 2,700 people have been arrested for protesting peacefully against the ban, simply by holding signs reading "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action".

This is dystopian - and unlawful. In February 2026 the High Court ruled the proscription of Palestine Action under terrorism laws was unlawful.

The attack on protest rights in the UK has caught international attention. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN experts, the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner and the Civicus global civil society alliance have all warned that the UK is at risk of becoming increasingly authoritarian.

Backed by our supporters, Amnesty is making sure that this clamp down does not go unchallenged.

We are demanding the Government stops the attack on protest rights today.

Add your name to our letter urging the UK’s Chief Prosecutors to drop all charges against peaceful protestors now. Together, we can keep this fundamental freedom safe.