Forum: Issue: Special Conference Measures to ensure the rights of civilians to protest peacefully Student Officer: Henry Zink Position: Deputy President of the Special Conference Introduction The right to protest is a human right that usually refers to the freedom of assembly and the freedom of association. Freedom of assembly refers to the right to collectively express common interests. The freedom of association refers to the ability of people to join or leave groups of their choosing. Together, they form the rights of a person to freely express their beliefs in public. These rights are not given in many countries and are often seen as disruptive. However, may believe that they form a basic pillar of freedom and permit grievances to be noted. Definition of Key Terms Right to protest A perceived human right arising from a number of recognized human rights, including freedom of assembly and freedom of association. Freedom of assembly The individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend common interests. Freedom of association The right to join or leave groups of a person s own choosing, and for the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of members. Freedom of speech The political right to communicate one s opinions and ideas using one s body and property to anyone who is willing to receive them. Protest MYMUN Research Report Page 1 of 5
An expression of objection by words or by actions to particular events, policies, or situations. Nonviolent Resistance The practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, and other methods without using violence. General Overview Peaceful versus violent protest The style of protest that the UN has an interest in protecting is that of peaceful or nonviolent protest. Nonviolent protest is protest in which peaceful means are used to represent the wishes of a group. Examples of nonviolent protests include hunger strikes, worker s strikes, and others. Violent protest is found more often in extreme groups and involves violence towards those who they disagree with. The UN only has an interest in protecting nonviolent protest, as violent protest is dangerous to both people as well as political systems. Current situation The right to peacefully protest is denied in many countries. Even in countries where there are laws protecting the right to protest, there are numerous incidents of police using violent measures to stop the protests, such as in Canada in June 2010 at the G20 Summit and throughout the Occupy Wall Street Movement in the United States. The use of force by police resulting in injury and death, discriminatory treatment, and criminalization of social leaders is very common. These ultimately lead to the suppression of democratic rights through law, regulation, and bureaucratic processes. These acts of violence also go unnoticed, as justice systems appear unwilling to undertake serious investigation. Human progress has often involved large-scale societal change, spurred by individuals speaking out for issues that matter through forms of peaceful protest. The timeline later in the report highlights several successful cases of peaceful protest. Selected regional positions Israel Israel is an example of a country where peaceful protest is strictly prohibited. Israeli law prohibits virtually all protest activity. This includes vigils, processions, publications, and personal items expressing a viewpoint. Bassem al-tamimi, an Israeli, has been arrested twice for peacefully exercising his rights as a human being. Singapore MYMUN Research Report Page 2 of 5
The Republic of Singapore is a country in which protests are extremely rare, due to restrictions imposed by the government, such as the Public Entertainment and Meetings Act and the Public Order Act. A valid license is required to form any kind of protest movement, peaceful or non-peaceful. Singapore, however, has had a Speaker s Corner in the past where people were permitted to speak their mind on certain topics, free of a protesting license. Russia According to Act 31 of the Russian Constitution of 1993, Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to gather peacefully, without weapons, and to hold meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches, and pickets. There are restrictions on protest, but not at the same levels as in Singapore. The United Kingdom The United Kingdom allows protesting, except in protected sites where people are not allowed to go. These include military bases, nuclear power stations, Downing Street, and the Palace of Westminster. Human rights groups are concerned that the powers could hinder peaceful protest, but the government is taking no action to change the policies. The United States of America The First Amendment of the United States Constitution allows peaceful demonstration and the freedom of assembly. Recently, free speech zones have been implemented. These fenced-in areas are often far-removed from the event that is being protested. Critics say that these zones lessen the impact that the demonstration might otherwise have had. It is required in some areas of the United States to get permission from the government to hold a demonstration. Other parts of North America Countries in North America often have protests on issues ranging from environmental to societal and cultural issues. They are often countries where peaceful protest is completely allowed, but there have been numerous incidents of police taking control and using violent measures to stop protest, even in countries where it is allowed. Other parts of Europe European countries have generally been more open to various types of peaceful protests. Though they may not always yield fruitful advances in society, the practice of protesting has been allowed. Events such as the Blackberry Riots are a notable deviance from peaceful responses. Possible Solutions MYMUN Research Report Page 3 of 5
A solution to this issue will require adapting the portions of several countries laws. Most countries believe that the rights of peaceful protest must be protected, while the government should control violent protest where possible. An example of the government controlling some protest is the United Kingdom, which has banned protests in certain sensitive areas. The obvious solution is to pass a resolution granting complete rights to protest to all citizens around the world. That being said, it will be very difficult to pass something of that magnitude due to the number of states that already have restrictions in place, such as Israel, Singapore, and Russia. The most feasible solution will likely be a combination of policies from the countries discussed above. Timeline of Events Below is a timeline of some famous peaceful protests that have occurred throughout the world and resulted in major social change. Date 1830s Description of event USA Anti-Slavery campaign, centered in Boston. William Lloyd Garrison and his friends formed the 'Non-Resistance Society' 1838-1848 Britain's Chartist movement 1849-1867 Hungary's movement for self-determination led by Ferenc Deak 1867-1907 Resistance by Maoris in New Zealand 1870s-1880s Home Rule Movement in Ireland 1906-1914 Anti-racial discrimination movement led by Gandhi in South Africa 1920-1947 Indian independence movement led by Gandhi 1940-1945 Resistance to Nazi occupation in Denmark, Norway, and The Netherlands 1945-1989 Anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa 1955-1968 USA Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King 1965-1971 Anti-Vietnam War Movement (USA) 1968-1981 Northern Ireland civil rights movement and hunger strikes 1978-1979 Movement against the Shah in Iran (Persia) 1987-1990 Intifada against Israeli occupation in Palestine MYMUN Research Report Page 4 of 5
1988-1990 and 2007 Democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma 2011 Movements for democracy and civil liberties in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and others UN Involvement, Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events The 1950 European Convention on Human Rights The 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; this document contains prohibitions on advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred. Bibliography "Right to Protest." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Dec. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "Protest." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Declaration, Human Rights Charter, The Un and Human Rights." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. Nunberg, Geoff. "Geoffrey Nunberg - the History of "protest"" Geoffrey Nunberg. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "Public Protests Around The World." Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "United Nations Committee Protests North Korea Rights Violations." The Times Of India. The Associated Press, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "A Brief History of Student Protest: From 'no Women at Cambridge' in 1897 to 'cops off Campus' in 2013." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. "Top 10 Nonviolent Protest." TIME.com. Time Magazine, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. By. "History of Peaceful Protest." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 02 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. Moeni, Nika. Protecting the Right to Peaceful Protest. Rep. Connecticut Model United Nations, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. MYMUN Research Report Page 5 of 5