The Protest Handbook

Book excerpt: “A book like this that sets out the law relevant to protest is essential for campaigners and activists. But it's not just a guide to legal rights when protesting, it's also a handbook for the defence of civil disobedience and non-violent direct action in our democracy. That makes it essential reading for us all.” Caroline Lucas MP, in her Foreword to the Second Edition The Protest Handbook, Second Edition is a clear and accessible guide to protest law, which brings together both the criminal and civil aspects of this area of law and explains complex legal issues in a user-friendly format. The authors guide practitioners and non-practitioners through the various issues and proceedings, covering the following: protestors' rights and police powers; criminal proceedings; common offences and defences; the law on occupations; challenging injunctions; and holding the police to account. The Second Edition covers all the core legislation and case law including: Public Order Act 1986; Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; Human Rights Act 1998; Boddington v BTP, Rice v Connolly and R (Laporte) v Chief Constable of Gloucestershire as well as more recent developments such as: Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Police Act 2014; The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020; James v DPP (2016); R (DPP) v Stratford MC (2017); DPP v Ziegler (2019); R v Roberts (2019); Catt v UK (2019); Canada Goose v Persons Unknown (2020); INEOS v Boyd (2020); R (Jones) v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis (2020). This is an essential guide for all legal practitioners working in this area, as well as for organisations and groups who provide advice and support for protestors and, of course, for protestors themselves.