Hello, my name's Ms. Ikomi, I'm a teacher from London, and I'm gonna be taking you through today's lesson.

Let's get started.

Today's lesson is called, 'What is the Right Protest Within a Democracy, with the Rule of Law?' It is part of the unit, 'Why do we need the right to protest in a democracy?' By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to describe what the right to protest is and explain how it links to our other rights in a democratic society.

The key words we're going to be coming across today are as follows, protest.

This is a public demonstration or action expressing disapproval or objection to a policy, decision, or situation.

It's often aimed at raising awareness or demanding change.

Public order.

The state of peace and security in which laws are upheld to ensure community safety and prevent disruption and disorder.

And lastly, citizen.

A person who was born in a particular country and has certain rights or has been given certain rights because having lived there.

Keep an eye out for these keywords as we move through today's lesson.

We're gonna start by thinking about what is the right protest? The right protest is one of our fundamental human rights that we have in democratic societies.

We know that democracy means that we have the right to have a say in how we are led.

Protesting allows people to express their opinions, challenge decisions which might have been made by our representatives, and demand changes from those who have power.

Protests can take a lot of different forms, and we're going to look at some different examples of those in today's lesson.

In this picture, we can see an example of a protest.

Protestors are marching against genetic engineering, so this is how our food can be modified genetically.

Although in that picture we saw an example of people marching, this is not the only form that protesting can take.

Protesting might include petitions, collecting signatures, and then delivering those signatures to the government.

Boycotts.

That means we refuse to buy something or use a service.

This impacts companies and organisations and forces them to change their views or actions because they want people to start using their services again.

Or lastly, publicity stunts.

These are events that aim to catch the media's attention.

So for example, somebody might stand on a public building or disrupt a famous art gallery.

This means that people will circulate this and the cause will get attention.

Let's check what we've done so far.

True or false? Petitions are a form of protest to influence the government.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

Can you also have a little think about why? The correct answer is true? This is because petitions involve citizens gathering signatures to show how strongly people feel about a particular issue.

Well done if you got that right.

The Human Rights Act in 1998, allowed people to freely assemble and associate with each other peacefully, so that means that citizens can gather together for protests and the government can't do anything to stop them from doing that.

However, although this right to protest is protected, we have to balance it up with some of our other rights, such as the idea of public order and safety.

Our rights often go with responsibilities to make sure that we are using those rights in a way that doesn't infringe upon anybody else's rights.

The right to protest and freedom of expression are closely linked.

In a democracy, citizens have the right to express their opinions freely.

Protest is one of the most visible ways to do this.

Freedom of expression.

Sometimes this is called freedom of speech, is a right that allows people to share their views, ideas, and beliefs without fear of the government censoring them or punishing them.

Censoring is where we stop people from saying what they think.

Protests are a way of expressing dissatisfaction about an issue, idea, or policy.

Protests have also played a really important role in shaping the social landscape and the political landscape we find in the UK.

Over centuries, citizens have used protests for fight for their rights, demand justice, and push for political change.

An example of this is the women's suffrage movement within the early 20th century.

The women within this movement use lots of different forms of protest to demand their right to vote.

The tactics included hunger strikes, marches.

These protests played a key role in women gaining the same voting rights as men in 1928.

We can see a picture of the women protesting at a march there.

There are some more recent examples of protests that we've had in the UK.

In between 2016-2019, we had protests about Brexit.

The People's Vote marches called for a second referendum on the terms of Britain leaving the European Union.

Over a million participants took part in this.

We also had the Schools Strike for Climate that has been going on from 2019 to currently.

This has been inspired by Greta Thunberg and thousands of UK students have participated in school strikes to demand urgent action on the climate crisis.

Let's check what we've done so far.

Which of the following statements best explains why protests are important in a democracy? A, protests allow citizens to voice their opinions and hold governments accountable.

B, protests give people the chance to break laws that they disagree with.

C, protests are only effective if they cause disruption or damage property.

Or D, protests are unnecessary because governments always know what's best for citizens.

Pause the video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is A.

Protests allow citizens to voice their opinions and hold governments accountable.

I'd like you to do some tasks to practise what we've done so far about protest.

First, I'd like you to explain what the main purpose of the right to protest in democratic society is.

Then I'd like you to describe two different forms of protest.

Then explain how the right to protest is protected by the law in the UK.

After that, think about a recent protest that has occurred in the UK and explain what this was about and how it helped bring attention to the issue.

Pause your video and have a go at those tasks now.

Your answers might have included some of the following examples.

Explaining what the purpose of the right to protest is in democratic societies.

You might have said it is to allow people to express their opinions, challenge decisions, and demand changes from those in power.

It provides citizens with a way to have their voices heard and influence political and social change.

In describing two different forms of protests, you might have used the example of petitions which collect signatures to support the cause, and then they deliver them to the authorities in order to demand change.

You might also have spoken about publicity stunts, dramatic events such as standing in a building that attract media attention.

In explaining how the right to protest is protected by the law, you might have mentioned the Human Rights Act 1998.

This guarantees freedom to assemble and associate with others peacefully.

This means that citizens in the UK have legal rights to gather and participate in protests.

The government can't prevent this as long as the protest remains peaceful.

Lastly, you were describing an example of a protest that has happened recently in the UK.

You might have spoken about the School Strike for Climate.

This was inspired by Greta Thunberg.

Students are protesting to call the government to make I media an urgent action on climate change.

They're raising awareness of the issue.

Well done if you included any of that in your answer.

Next, we're going to think about are some different forms of peaceful protest.

Protests can take many forms, but in general, we categorise them as either peaceful or non-peaceful.

Both types of protests are aiming to bring attention to the issues.

However, peaceful protests are much more widely accepted within democratic societies.

This is because they align with the rule of law and protect public safety.

We know that this is a really important value that we hold to be important.

Non-peaceful protests involve actions that cause harm to people, property, or disrupt public order.

These protests often result in clashes with the authorities such as the police, and this can cause long-term damage to the cause.

This is because instead of remembering what the issue was, people remember the actions of the protestors instead.

A peaceful protest, on the other hand, avoids violence and focuses on raising awareness.

It demands change and holds the authorities accountable through peaceful means.

Let's see what we can remember.

What is the main difference between non-peaceful and peaceful protests? A, peaceful protests follow the law and avoid causing harm, whilst non peaceful protests involve breaking the law and causing damage.

B, peaceful protests only involve a small number of people, whilst non peaceful protests always attract large crowds.

Or C, peaceful protests are always legal, while non-peaceful protests are illegal in all circumstances.

Pause your video and choose the answer.

The correct answer was A, marches and demonstrations are an example of peaceful protests.

These involve large groups of people walking together to make their voices heard.

We've already seen an example of this come up when we were looking at the, Say No to Genetic Modification March earlier.

The goal is to show unity on a particular issue.

It's sending a clear message to the public and those in power by using your body, by walking as a group.

The events are often organised with permission from authorities.

This ensures that they remain peaceful and within legal boundaries.

A sit-in is another form of protest where individuals occupy a space.

They might refuse to leave until their demands are heard or changes are made.

This form of peaceful protest is often used to disrupt normal activities and that then draws attention to a particular issue.

We've seen lots of examples of sit-ins as a form of protest throughout history.

Here we have a picture of a very famous sit-in which was part of the civil rights movement in America.

Sit-ins are powerful because they're highly visible.

They might it make it difficult for businesses to operate normally.

In this example in Greensboro in 1960, African American students refused to leave the lunch counter.

They were denied service due to their skin colour.

However, they disrupted the normal running of the organisation, in this case, the restaurant, by sitting in that place peacefully.

Let's check what we've done so far.

What is the main difference between sit-ins and marches as forms of protest? A, marches focus on confronting authorities directly, while sit-ins are more symbolic and do not attract public attention.

B, sit-ins involve occupying a specific space and refusing to leave, whilst marches involve moving through public streets to raise awareness.

Or C, sit-ins are always considered illegal because they invoke blocking public spaces or private property without permission.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer was B, well done if you got that right.

There are other types of protests that don't necessarily involve you going and being in a particular place.

Hashtag protests involve the use of specific hashtags to rally support, share information, and raise awareness.

This happens online and often spreads via social media.

This form of online activism can spread quickly and reach global audiences, and this allows people to support causes from anywhere in the world.

This is fantastic if potentially you're not living in the same country as a cause you'd like to support or if you don't have access to be able to leave your house.

For example, if you are unable to go on a protest because you have a disability, so online activism is a really key way in demonstrating support for an issue without having to actually be there.

The Brexit protest campaigning for a second referendum and the School Strike for climate protest, both successfully use hashtags to gain more awareness for their cause.

These hashtags were #FridaysforFuture and #PeopleVote.

Let's have a practise.

Jacob's local council has decided to close down the only public park in his neighbourhood to build a new shopping centre.

The park is a vital space for families, children, and elderly residents, to relax and exercise.

The decision was made without any public consultation.

I would like you to choose one form of peaceful protest that we've learned about today.

I'd like you to write a speech for Jacob to use to convince his peers to support this method.

You should consider what form of protest he should use and why you think that will be most effective.

How the method will get the people in the community involved and how the form of protest will raise awareness and potentially lead to a change.

Pause the video now and have a go at that task.

I'm going to read out an example speech and I'd like you to compare this to your own.

Is there anything that you'd like to change or add to make your speech more convincing? We should organise a peaceful march to protest the council's decision to close our park.

A march will unite the community and show the council how much we value this space.

By gathering a large group and walking to the council offices, we'll send a strong visible message.

We'll spread the word through social media and posters to involve as many people as possible.

Our march will raise awareness and pressure the council to keep the park open for everyone.

Well done if you use some of those points.

You might have spoken about a sit-in instead.

Next, we're going to think about how the law manages protests.

Laura is telling us governments must find a balance between allowing free expression and ensuring that protests do not harm others or disrupt public life too much.

We know that protests are an important part of our democratic society, however, they are regulated by laws.

This balances our right to protest with our responsibility to maintaining public order and keeping people safe.

The right to protest is protected under our international human rights law.

Some documents that outline this law are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Article 20 specifically, grants the right to peaceful assembly and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Article 21 recognises the right to peacefully assemble but allows restrictions for national security, public safety, or health.

These international laws guide countries to ensure that their citizens can protest peacefully, but also we maintain public order.

In the UK, our rights are protected in the Human Rights Act.

Article 10, Freedom of Expression and Article 11, Freedom of Assembly, support our right to protest.

This means all citizens who have those rights have that right to protest.

This right is not absolute, so that means that there are certain circumstances where it may be restricted.

For example, in the interest of national public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals.

This right to protest is also regulated by laws such as the Public Order Act.

This act requires organisers to inform the police in advance for certain protests.

This means the police then have the opportunity to impose conditions if they think the protest might cause disruption or threaten public safety.

The law also makes it illegal to organise protests that incite or encourage violence or hatred, so this means that protests can't use racist terms or anything offensive.

Equally, it shouldn't encourage people to be violent towards others or their property.

The law does protect peaceful protests, although it does also balance this with powers to prevent major disturbance and harm to others.

Let's check what we've done so far.

Which of the following statements best describes how the UK balances the right to protest with public safety? A, protests that incite violence will cause inconvenience to traffic are always protected by freedom of expression under Article 10.

B, the right to protest is absolute, meaning the police cannot impose any restrictions even if there's a threat to public safety.

Or C, citizens have the right to protest under Articles 10 and 11, but the police can impose conditions if a protest risks public harm.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is C, well done if you got that right.

Even in countries that have strong legal protections for our right to protest, some actions are not allowed.

You are not allowed to do violence against other people or property.

You're not allowed to incite hatred or violence.

That means we can't encourage it.

We are not allowed to block emergency services.

An unlawful occupation of private property is not allowed.

These actions, if done, turn a peaceful protest into an illegal activity.

There might be legal consequences for those who are engaging it, but also the organisers and the participants.

In the UK, protests can be limited in certain situations.

They can also be restricted.

If the protest could cause serious public disorder, damage to property, or interfere with the rights of others.

If it blocks roads or public transport.

If the protest risks national security.

Okay, let's see what we've done so far.

True or false? In the UK, you have the right to cause major disruption to train services if your protest is for of valid cause? Pause the video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is false.

This is because in the UK, whilst peaceful protests are allowed, causing major disruption to public services such as the train line is illegal, even if it is for a valid and important cause.

We have further legislation that expands our knowledge of how protests are regulated in the UK.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Acts, gave us further information and changed how protests were regulated.

For example, it allowed the police to impose conditions on protests if they're seen as being too noisy or disruptive.

It gave police more authority to restrict protests if they risk causing serious annoyance or serious inconvenience to the public.

It allows the police to set specific start and finish time for protests to manage public order and safety more effectively.

And lastly, it increased sentences for protestors who do not comply with those restrictions.

This means that if you go against one of these rules, you could face a fine or even imprisonment.

Okay, let's check what we've done so far.

Which of the following was a key change introduced by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act? Is it A, it allowed protestors to express their views freely without facing any restrictions or limitations on their right to protest.

B, it gave police greater authority to restrict protests if they risk causing serious inconvenience to the public.

Or C, it removed the authority of the police to impose conditions or restrictions on protest.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer was B, well done if you got that right.

Izzy is telling us her opinion on the law controlling protests.

She says, "I don't think we need laws to control protests.

If the cause is important, people should be able to do whatever it takes to make their voices heard, even if it causes disruption." I would like you to write a response to Izzy explaining why it's important to have legal frameworks to regulate protests.

You're going to consider the balance between freedom of expression and public safety.

Also thinking about the consequences that might happen if we had unrestricted protests.

Pause your video and write out your answer to this task.

I asked you to respond to Izzy explaining why it's important to have legal frameworks to regulate protests.

Your answer might have looked something like June's.

June says, "Laws are needed to ensure protests stay peaceful and don't harm others.

Without them, protests could disrupt important services or even become violent.

Laws such as the Police, Crime, Sentences in Courts Act helped balance the right to protest with public safety so people can express their views without causing chaos.

Well done if you included some of that, particularly if you made reference to that example of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act.

We have been learning about what the right to protest is within a democracy and within the rule of law.

We learn that the right to protest is a fundamental human right.

This allows citizens to express their opinions and demand change within our democracy.

In the UK, this right's protected by the Human Rights Act.

Protests can take many different forms, including peaceful demonstrations such as sit-ins, marches, and online activism, all of which has to follow legal guidelines.

However, not all protests are peaceful.

Legal frameworks such as the Public Order Act, in the UK, regulate protests to ensure public safety and maintain order.

Protests are essential for holding governments accountable and driving political or social change whilst respecting the law.

Well done and thank you for joining me in today's lesson.