To think there shouldn't be a right to *protest*

Blocking roads and causing a public nuisance, being violent and using hate speach or threats isn't part of the right to protest, nor is weekly marches.
What needs to happen is anyone organising these inappropriate protests should be prosecuted along with those taking part

What would be useful is a clearer idea/definition of what constitutes "legal protest" and what is breach of peace

💯

Only take a look at the batshittery on the threads about Renee Nicole Good who was shot by ICE this week. The threads are populated by some disconcerting authoritarian, gaslighting posts. Very 1984.

I think OP would love Russia.

Yeah, maybe go live a less tolerant country for a while and see how that works out for you.

Protest means collectively disagreeing with something. You don't think people should be allowed to collectively disagree on things?

Strengthen their points? Nah, just repeatedly post "boo" to people you disagree with

Yep. The worst corners of the MAGA cesspit think that feminists should be forcibly sectioned - and it's creeping over here, with their weaponised version of 'Christianity'. We must be very very vigilant. Protesting should absolutely remain a protected right.

Oh dear.

The right to protest does not equate to the right to block ambulances, obstruct roads etc. That’s where public order laws come into play.

The right to protest means you can peacefully express your views without being thrown into jail for disagreeing with the government.

Why would anyone want that taken away?

I agree with you OP. Massive, expensive and, lets face it, utterly pointless, weekly marches on the same issue (Palestine) are just taking the piss. There is a cost to the rest of society, to victims of crime, to preventing crime and to solving crime, to have massive police resources taken up with these each week. Not to mention the disruption to other citizens, businesses, and in the case of the Palestine marches, intimidation to another minority group.

It used to be that people organised a march on their cause maybe once a year - much more reasonable. Every week is just ridiculous, especially for a cause your host country is not responsible for and can't actually bring about any change to.

Just Stop Oil are just outrageous. They actively endanger other people with their stunts.

I have no problem with people protesting, but they shouldn't be blocking people's ability to get by them or intimidating passers-by or the people who happen to live where they choose to protest. They should be respectful of the people around them, and unfortunately, some protesters are not.

If all you are allowed to do is write blogs and stand on speakers corner your reach will be limited.

I am all for visible, peaceful, non disruptive protest. You can be seen without blocking roads.

I think most people believe that protest should be allowed in a democracy.

However, there is a huge grey area as regards what people consider to be acceptable forms of protest and I suspect most people believe there is a limit to how far protests should be allowed to go in terms of their level of disruption and risk they pose to the security of the general public.

It's possible for people to pose huge amounts of danger to the public in general in the name of protest and it is generally unclear where protest turns into terrorism.

That's really pretty much it. We live in a society where protest is generally allowed, but there are limits in how far it can be taken without posing serious security risks and suffering serious consequences as a result.

I think most people if they thought clearly of the consequences of certain radical protest understand there need to be limits on how far protest can be taken.

Unfortunately "how far" very much depends on the individual.

If exercising a so called right to protest requires trampling over the freedoms of others, then that right needs serious limits.

OMG

Is there a concerted effort on Mumsnet to undermine basic democratic rights at the moment? Aaron Banks style? Or maybe someone is trying to do their politics homework. Not sure but in any case, Op, YABU. HTH.

In my town it's a bandwagon. Same old faces at everything. No matter what it is.

Would you include the farmers and the countryside Alliance in that?

Again, the Suffrage movement.

Surely that’s the point of it!! To cause inconvenience for maximum impact!

What, you mean those socialist worker flagged farmers blocking ambulances with their tractors in central London - those protests ?

Did writing letters to MPs help the Suffrage movement?

This.

And the law isn’t always “right” either. It’s such a cliche so I’m loathed to say it but if Emmeline Pankhurst had stuck to writing strongly worded letters and not inconveniencing anyone she probably wouldn’t have got that far.

OP if you don’t like protests where do you stand on strikes? What other power do you think the average person can leverage to bring about any significant change? Because there’s only so much a petition can do.

She sounds incredible.

I think you’re entirely missing the point, OP.

First of all, affecting economic productivity and inconveniencing people is often the only way protesters can get airtime or create change.

Second, in the case of Just Stop Oil, the inconvenience is the point. The protesters genuinely believe that their cause - which they believe to be helping protect the future of humanity - is more important than a few hours of inconvenience to some. The future of Bob’s minimum wage job, or his kids’ futures, aren’t good if we’ve cooked the planet.

And although I’d hate to be inconvenienced, of course, environmentally speaking it does seem they’re right. I can’t think about the future too much, but it does seem we are sleepwalking into environmental catastrophe that we’re able to ignore because it hasn’t affected us that much, yet.

I do honestly wonder what life will look like for DD and think that a lot of protestors - from the suffragettes to climate activists today - have so much courage. I try to do my bit as I work in education, but it’s not nearly enough.

How else would we have removed the Community Charge without the protest?

writing letters and attending debates isn't what earned women the right to vote though really is it.