Freedom of assembly

Cleaners striking in front of the MTV building in Santa Monica, California. Striking in a trade union is a way of exercising freedom of assembly and freedom of association

Freedom of assembly and freedom of association, is the right to join together with others peacefully to reach common goals and express common opinions, both in public and in private. This usually includes business groups (or corporation), civic organizations, labor unions, political parties, and protest groups.

Restrictions

Freedom of assemble does not mean that any group can come together for any purpose. Some governments prohibit militias, or groups of people outside the military that gather weapons and train soldiers, from demonstrating in public with their weapons to cause violence and a disturbance.

Protection

Many developed nations protect the freedom of assembly. Many have passed laws or constitutional amendments ensuring that people will be able to freely assemble. These include:

• Canada - Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which is Part I of the Constitution of Canada
• France - article 431-1 of the Nouveau Code Pénal
• Hong Kong - Basic Law Section 27
• Article 27 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran
• Republic of Ireland - Guaranteed by Article 40.6.1 of the Constitution of Ireland
• Turkey - article 33 and 34 of the Constitution of Turkey guarantee the freedom of association and assembly.
• United States - First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
• United Nations - Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 20 and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 21.

Freedom Of Assembly Media

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  "Sammankomsten" ("The Meeting"), oil painting by Ester Almqvist, original at the Swedish National Museum. The painting was chosen by the UN as a motif for a stamp commemorating the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, paragraph 20: the Right of Assembly.

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  Janitorial workers striking in front of the MTV building in Santa Monica, California. Although striking in a trade union is a way of exercising freedom of assembly and freedom of association, other aspects of the conduct of the workers depicted here, such as pedestrian blocking of vehicle traffic in whichever direction has the right of way at this signal-controlled intersection, may violate local or state laws such as California Vehicle Code § 21950(b).

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  Posted excerpt from the US Constitution, at an Occupy Oakland event, 2011