Our democratic right to protest peacefully is being undermined by our governments. You didn’t need to be at Sydney Town Hall on Monday 9 February and witness police brutality to know that.
The unprovoked violence against a peaceful protest last Monday was extreme and we need to make sure nothing like it ever happens again.
While it was a giant step-up in attacks on the right to protest it was part of a trend over a decade to take away protest rights and increase penalties.
It is time to stand up for our foundational democratic right just as it is being challenged by governments, some political parties and most of the mainstream media.
This week please read and sign the Declaration of our Right to Protest, a statement developed by the Human Rights Law Centre and endorsed by many civil society and human rights groups. The full text of the declaration is a helpful guide to what our protest rights are and how they can be protected.
If you have a few more minutes please email your local state MP with your concerns about NSW anti-protest laws.