Lesson video

Hello and welcome back to our second lesson in this unit, where today we are going to look at what is the right to protest within a democracy with the rule of law.

Now for today's lesson, you are going to need a pen and some paper, and you are going to need that quiet working space, free from distractions so that I've got your attention for the duration of this lesson.

Once you find that space and once you find your materials, give a quick pause in the video, and once you've got that space and once you've got your materials press resume and we will continue with the lesson today.

Today we're going to focus on three key questions that we need to answer in order to succeed in today's lesson.

The first one we're going to look at, is what is the right to protest? So when I look at where it comes from, and what is the rule of law and how we remain within that rule of law.

Then we want to look at the different forms of protesting and we going to look at how effective they are, then we're going to apply this to a scenario, and we're going to examine each form of protesting that can be used.

So, to get us thinking about it then, I want you to think about when you had to protest about an issue.

So I want you to think back to an issue that's been really, really important to you and what have you done about it? And if there is an issue that's really, really important to you now, what could you do about it in the future? So I want you to write down what issues you can protest about and what could you do to bring that protest to the front or to bring that to peoples' attention.

So pause the video now and complete that task on what issues have you got to protest about and what can you do about it.

Once you've completed the task, press resume on the video so we can continue with today's lesson.

Okay, so just some feedback there, and these are just some things that I thought of, so did you think it was unfair that you had too much homework one week? Did you disagree with the rules that were put in place at home? So you might feel like shouted or you might have complained about them.

Did you see something in the news that made you feel a range of emotions? So you may have felt really angry, you might've felt really upset about something that you've seen in the news recently.

And what you've done is you might have sat in silence, you might've had a soak, you might have showered and you might have refused to do some work in relation to that, and that is a form of protesting.

Okay, so no matter what issues you've got, if they're not the same as mine, don't worry, but just look at what have you done about it, or what could you do about it.

But what is the right to protest within the rule of law then? So we're going to examine, where does it come from and what it is exactly.

So Article 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998, is where we get our right to protest.

Now, Article 10 is the freedom of expression and Article 10 and Article 11 are closely linked together.

Now Article 11 applies to protests, marches, demonstrations, counter-demonstrations, press conferences, public and private meetings, and more.

What's really, really important to understand here, is that Article 11, although it gives you the right to protest, it doesn't permit you to commit a violent protest.

Okay, so there will be prosecutions brought to you if you violently protest and you cannot use the Human Rights Act to protect you from that.

Some people turn to Article 11 when authorities either stop a demonstration going ahead or they take steps in advance to disrupt the demonstration.

So Article 11 gives you that freedom, to protest in a peaceful manner.

Now the State or the Government cannot interfere with a right to protest, and it can't interfere with the right to protest just because it disagrees with the protestors' views or because it's likely to be inconvenient to cause nuisance, or because there might be a tension and heated exchange between opposing groups.

But what's important if we have the rule of law in the United Kingdom, that everybody is treated fairly, the State has to protect its citizens through the rule of law.

So whilst you have a right to protest, the police, the government, people in charge of the law, have also a right to protect the public.

Now protesting outside of your right to protest, is balanced through policing under the Public Order Act, so as to make sure that you are adhering to the law in the public place or, for example, by making sure that highways remain clear under the Highways Act of 1980.

So when I have a look at some issues where people are demonstrating and marching on public highways, and there's that balancing act between making sure you have the right to protest, also protecting the citizens from public order or from restrictions on the highway.

So to give you an understanding, quick fact check here, all I want you to do and write down is write whether you think the answer is true or false to the following questions.

So number one, the government can stop a protest from happening? So write down whether you think the answer is true, or do you think the answer is false and I'll give you four, three, two, and one.

Hopefully you said that the answer is false in that the government cannot interfere with your right to protest.

Number two then, Article 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998 says you have the right to protest? Again write down whether you think the answer is true, or whether you think the answer is false.

I'll give you three, two, and one.

Hopefully you've identified that statement is true, and this applies to protest marches and demonstrations amongst other things.

Finally then last one, number three, you have the right to cause damage and violence during your protest? Again, write down whether you think the answer is true, or do you think the answer is false, and I'll give you three, two and one.

And hopefully you've identified that the answer is false, because if you are causing damage and violence during your protest, you could be committing a crime and there could be repercussions coming your way.

So now that we know the right to protest, we need to look at identifying different forms of protest in action.

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to take you through a series of different protests, and then we're going to look at how effective those protests are.

So the first one that you need to know and take note about is a demonstration.

Now a demonstration is often a loud form of protest and people hold up signs and chant or sing, in front of a targeted site.

So it might be a local business that you want to go and demonstrate against for whatever reason, and people stand outside of that business or that site and they chant and they sing and they have slogans or placards, giving the message of what they want to get across.

Second form of protesting is a stunt, and a stunt is very similar to a demonstration, except the aim is to capture a message visually, and it's usually something fun or humorous or it's there to draw attention to itself.

So for instance, here in the image you've got somebody dressed up as Batman, looking to make a point, if that was just a man there without the costume, there's debate whether or not that would have the right or the same message.

Okay, so a stunt is usually something fun or humorous.

A march then, is a large number of people gathering and walking on a route while chanting.

And this is sometimes a quite disruptive form of protesting, okay.

So, so far we've had a demonstration, we've had a stunt, and now we've got a march.

Now, a vigil involve a group of people sitting or standing silently in a specific location, they're usually held at night with candlelight and this can be a very positive way to raise awareness of an issue and can cause minimal public description.

Now it can still form a disruptive protest because they might be blocking a pathway or they might be blocking, blocking a road, it depends on the situation, okay.

So, but usually this aims to just raise awareness of an issue in a very positive way.

Next we've got a sit-in, so a sit-in usually involves a group of people, occupying a public or private space, where they attract attention.

Members of the protest make a demand and they stay there until their demand is met or partially met or at the very least it is discussed.

Now in the image you've got there, although it looks very peaceful, they are blocking a public road.

So again, we've got to make sure that we balance this right to protest whilst maintaining that public order and things like your highways are free from restrictions.

Finally then, we've got lobbying, and lobbying is making contact with your local MP, to look up the issue being discussed.

And it's a form of putting pressure on somebody with your issue to do something about it.

Now I've used the images there for you because we've got a task coming up shortly, so if you want to flip back and have a look at the images, so you get an idea of what the words are and what the image is and what it relates to, that will be really handy moving forward.

Now we do have other forms of protesting, so you've got a petition and this could be to your local council or to your MP or to parliament itself.

You can raise awareness through public meetings because you are gathering about an issue.

In the modern age there's lots of social media campaigns that can go around on various platforms. And also you could boycott buying particularly goods from a particular place.

Now these protests still aim to get particular point across, but they do so in a more discreet manner sometimes.

So, let's see what you have remembered, this is our recall task, so all I need to do is write numbers one through to six, and I need you to tell me, which number is which form of protesting.

So I'll read them on screen for you so you've got protest example one, two, and three, what do those images relate to? And if you want to challenge yourself here, you can even go on and say, what that form of protest is and why it's effective.

So you can pause the video now to complete that task and hit resume once you are done.

Okay, same again for, four, five, and six.

What do those images relate to? And again, you could even write down why those are effective or what they seek to do.

So pause the video now to complete that task and hit resume once you are finished.

Okay, hopefully you got number one was a march.

Two was lobbying to an MP or to your local council by putting pressure on them.

Number three was the candlelight vigil.

Number four was your sit-in.

Number five was your demonstration.

And number six was your stunt, which remember looks up being humorous or fun.

Okay, our final task for today is to evaluate the effectiveness of those protesting within the rule of law, so we're looking at what can balance here.

So again, whilst you have the right to protest, how do you make sure that all the freedoms are balanced also? So this task, it has been brought to your attention that a local business is not recycling any form of plastic.

As somebody who is concerned about the effect on the environment, you want to use your right to protest to raise awareness about this issue.

What I want you to do is identify three forms of action or protest that could be taken to address this issue.

So I want you to write down, how you could do this and why your chosen method would be the most effective.

So pause the video now to complete that task and then come back to me once you have done so.

Okay, so this is just a little model answer for you that I've put together and it's an awareness for you to form the right answer, which is the joy of citizenship, because if you can back up your answer or your response, then you are halfway there.

So I've said one way that you could raise awareness is through the use of a petition, this is an effective way to protest as it enables you to see how much public support you have.

Another way could be to lobby to your local counsellor, if you have enough signatures on your petition, your local counsellor can think about ways to encourage the recycling in the local area.

And then finally you could boycott the shop and refuse to buy from there until they start complying with any recycling regulations.

Okay, like I said, you might have different forms and you have evaluated the effectiveness and as long as you've done so and said why you think that's more effective than the previous one, then that's great.

Hopefully then we have answered our three key questions for today, so we've identified what was the right to protest and where it comes from and what you can and cannot do in the eyes of the law.

We've looked at the different forms of protesting, and then we've started looking at how effective they are.

And then we've applied all of that knowledge to a practical scenario and you've identified three forms of protesting that you consider to be the most effective.

So I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the work you've got, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what forms of protesting you think are most effective.

So if you'd like to, please ask your parent or carer to show your work on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter tagging @OakNational, and using the #LearnwithOak.

I'll make sure to keep my eyes peeled for your responses.

Last thing for today's lesson, can you please make your way over to the exit quiz, just so that you can consolidate all of today's learning and secure the knowledge from today's lesson.

Hopefully you've enjoyed today's lesson and I want to say a massive thank you to all of you for complying with the lesson today.

There are some really, really hard and complex terms there, and you've really, really applied yourself and like I said, I'm looking forward to seeing the work that comes in online, but make sure that you ask your parent or carer to send those in for you.

Like I said, head over now and do the exit quiz and join me again next time for the next lesson in our sequence of lessons.

Thanks for watching.