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. ^[1] This usually includes business groups (or corporation ), civic organizations , labor unions , political parties , and protest groups.

Restrictions [ change | change source ]

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 [ change | change source ]

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 Penal
• 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.

References [ change | change source ]