Women's right to vote. Marriage equality. The five day working week.
All were won by ordinary people trying to make a difference for themselves and their communities.
Without the right to raise our voices in protest, the world would be a very different place.
History has shown us that protest is powerful. From the end of apartheid in South Africa to the protection the Franklin river, when passionate and courageous people raise their voice, they make the world a better place.
Sydney’s Gay Solidarity Group organised a march to commemorate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York in 1978. Police violently cracked down on the march and arrested 53 of the courageous protesters.
The march started a movement for equality for LGBTQI+ Australians, one that would lead to the decriminalisation of homosexuality and marriage equality.
In 1963, to mark one hundred years since emancipation, over 250,000 Americans marched on Washington to raise awareness of the continuing discrimination and inequalities faced by African Americans.
“Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.”
Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
In 2020, Black Americans are continuing the fight for racial equality and calling for an end to police violence, while being met with the very same violence they are protesting against.
In 1966 Gurindji stockmen walked off the Wave Hill pastoral station to demand better working conditions. Led by Vincent Lingiari, the walk off also inspired the Aboriginal land rights movement.
In 1976, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam returned over 3,000 square kilometres of land to the Gurindji people – the first time the Commonwealth returned land to an Aboriginal community.
In 1856 Melbourne stonemasons walked off the job in protest. This protest ended in an agreement for stonemasons to work no more than eight-hours each day – it also kick started the eight-hour day movement.
In 1948 that the Commonwealth approved a 40-hour, five-day working week.
These are just of few examples of the power of people banding together to make the world a better place. There are countless others. But right now, our right to join our voices and challenge injustice is under threat.
Right now, governments and powerful groups with deep pockets are threatening our right to protest.
In 2019, the Queensland government passed the Summary Offences and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2019. Four United Nations Special Rapporteurs said the laws were “inherently disproportionate,” and could criminalise peaceful protest.
The Queensland government consulted mining lobby group the Queensland Resources Council on the laws.
Mining companies and powerful lobby groups are pushing governments to further restrict our right to peaceful assembly in response to recent climate protests – threatening not just our right to protest, but also our ability to combat the climate crisis.
Worryingly, there is no federal Human Rights Act in Australia which can be used to challenge anti-protests laws in court and protect our human rights.
According to the Amnesty International Australia Human Rights Barometer 2021:
We believe that a federal Human Rights Act can be used to challenge anti-protests laws in court and protect our human rights.
In 2019 people from all corners of the globe spoke out and stood up for human rights.
In Hong Kong, millions marched over proposed laws that would allow extradition to mainland China. Thousands of protesters were arrested, and Amnesty documented evidence of torture and ill-treatment in detention.
“I felt my legs hit with something really hard. Then one [officer] flipped me over and put his knees on my chest. I felt the pain in my bones and couldn’t breathe. I tried to shout but I couldn’t breathe and couldn’t talk.”
A man detained at a Hong Kong police station following his arrest at a protest.
Time and time again, Amnesty has documented the use of lethal and unlawful force against protesters. In Iraq and Iran alone, the use of lethal force caused the deaths of hundreds of protesters.
Following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, demonstrations swept the USA calling for an end to police violence and killings, particularly of Black people.
Amnesty has documented numerous human rights violations committed by police forces in response to these demonstrations. This includes the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray to repress those who were demonstrating peacefully.
We want everyone to be able to safely stand up for human rights.
Together we can protect the #RightToProtest and continue to challenge injustice.
We can’t afford to be silenced now. Protest is the most powerful tool we have to protect our rights and our future. To make a difference we need to protect the right to protest.
