View source for Freedom of assembly

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{Short description|Right to form social or political groups and hold meetings}}
[[File:Themeeting.jpg|thumb|"Sammankomsten" ("The Meeting"), oil painting by [[Ester Almqvist]], original at the [[Swedish National Museum]]. The painting was chosen by the [[United Nations|UN]] as a motif for a stamp commemorating the establishment of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], paragraph 20: the Right of Assembly.]]
[[File:Janitor strike santa monica.jpg|thumb|[[Janitor]]ial workers striking in front of the [[MTV]] building in [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]], [[California]]. Although striking in a [[trade union]] is a way of exercising freedom of assembly and freedom of association, other aspects of the conduct of the workers depicted here, such as pedestrian blocking of vehicle traffic in whichever direction has the [[Right-of-way (traffic)#Intersections|right of way]] at this signal-controlled intersection, may violate local or state laws such as California Vehicle Code § 21950(b).<ref>[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&division=11.&title=&part=&chapter=5.&article= California Vehicle Code § 21950(b)]: "No pedestrian may unnecessarily stop or delay traffic while in a marked or unmarked crosswalk."</ref>]]
[[File:Occupy Oakland Nov 12 2011 PM 57.jpg|thumb|Posted excerpt from the [[US Constitution]], at an [[Occupy Oakland]] event, 2011]]
{{Liberalism sidebar}}
{{United States constitutional law}}

'''Freedom of assembly''', sometimes used interchangeably with the [[freedom of association]], is the [[right|individual right or ability]] of individuals to peaceably assemble and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their ideas.<ref>Jeremy McBride, Freedom of Association, in The Essentials of... Human Rights, Hodder Arnold, London, 2005, pp. 18–20</ref> The right to freedom of assembly is recognized as a [[human right]], a [[Political freedom|political right]] and a [[Civil liberties|civil liberty]].

The terms ''freedom of assembly'' and ''freedom of association'' may be used to distinguish between the freedom to assemble in public places and the freedom to join an association. Freedom of assembly is often used in the context of the [[right to protest]], while freedom of association is used in the context of labor rights. The [[Constitution of the United States]] is interpreted to mean both the freedom to assemble and the freedom to join an association.<ref>See: NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co., 458 U.S. 898 (1982); Healey v. James, 408 U.S. 169 (1972); Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia, 377 U.S. 1 (1964); United Mine Workers v. Illinois State Bar Assn., 389 U.S. 217 (1967).</ref>

==Human rights instruments==
Freedom of assembly is included in, among others, the following human rights instruments:
* [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] – Article 20
* [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]] – Article 21
* [[European Convention on Human Rights]] – [[Article 11 ECHR|Article 11]]
* [[American Convention on Human Rights]] – Article 15

National and regional constitutions that recognize freedom of assembly include:
* [[Bangladesh]] – Articles 37 and 38 of the [[Constitution of Bangladesh]] guarantee the [[freedom of association]] and assembly.<ref name=bd>{{cite web|title=Constitution of Bangladesh: Chapter III |url=http://www.pmo.gov.bd/pmolib/constitution/part3.htm |publisher=Prime Minister's Office |access-date=2 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524221035/http://www.pmo.gov.bd/pmolib/constitution/part3.htm |archive-date=24 May 2013 }}</ref>
* [[Brazil]] – Article 5 of the [[Constitution of Brazil]]
* [[Canada]] – S. 2 of the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'' which forms part of the ''[[Constitution Act, 1982]]''
* [[France]] – Article 431-1 of the ''Nouveau Code Pénal''
* [[Germany]] – Article 8 GG ([[Grundgesetz]], Basic Law)
* [[Hungary]] – Article VIII (1) of the [[Constitution of Hungary|Fundamental Law]]
* [[India]] – Article 19 of the [[Constitution of India]]
*[[Indonesia]] – Article 28E(3) of the [[Constitution of Indonesia]]
* [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] – Article 40.6.1° of the [[Constitution of Ireland|Constitution]], as enumerated under the heading "Fundamental Rights"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/irish_constitution_1/constitution_fundamental_rights.html|title=Fundamental Rights under the Irish Constitution|website=Citizensinformation.ie|language=en|access-date=2018-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html#part13|title=Constitution of Ireland|website=[[Irish Statute Book]]|language=en|access-date=2018-03-03}}</ref>
* [[Italy]] – Article 17 of the [[Italian Constitution|Constitution]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Italian Constitution |url=http://www.quirinale.it/page/costituzione|publisher=The official website of the Presidency of the Italian Republic |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127152449/http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/costituzione/pdf/costituzione_inglese.pdf |archive-date=2016-11-27 }}</ref>
* [[Japan]] – Article 21 of the [[Constitution of Japan]]
* [[Macau Basic Law]] - Article 27
* [[Malaysia]] – [[Article 10 of the Constitution of Malaysia]]
* [[Mexico]] – Article 9 of the [[Constitution of Mexico]]
* [[Netherlands]] - Articles 8 and 9 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
* [[New Zealand]] – Section 16 [[New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990]]
* [[Norway]] – Section 101 of the [[Constitution of Norway]]
* [[Pakistan]] - Article 16 of the [[Constitution of Pakistan, 1973]]
* [[Philippines]] – Article III, Section 4 of the [[Constitution of the Philippines]]
* [[Poland]] – Article 57 of the [[Constitution of Poland]]
* [[Freedom of assembly in Russia|Russia]] – Articles 30 and 31 of the [[Constitution of Russia]] guarantee the freedom of association and peaceful assembly.<ref name=ru>{{cite web |title=Constitution of Russia: Article 30|url=http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-03.htm#30|publisher=Adopted at National Voting on December 12, 1993}}</ref>
* [[South Africa Bill of Rights]] – Article 17
* [[Spain]] – Article 21 of the [[Spanish Constitution of 1978]]
* [[Sweden]] – Chapter 2 of The [[Basic Laws of Sweden|Instrument of Government]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/kungorelse-1974152-om-beslutad-ny-regeringsform_sfs-1974-152|title=Kungörelse (1974:152) om beslutad ny regeringsform Svensk författningssamling 1974:1974:152 t.o.m. SFS 2018:1903|website=Riksdagsförvaltningen|language=sv|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref>
* [[Taiwan]] ([[Republic of China]]) – Article 14 guarantees freedom of assembly and association.
* [[Turkey]] – Articles 33 and 34 of the [[Constitution of Turkey]] guarantee the freedom of association and assembly.
* [[UAE]] – Article 33 of the [[Constitution of the United Arab Emirates|Constitution of the UAE]]
* [[United States]] – [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] to the [[United States Constitution|Constitution of the United States]]
* [[Venezuela]] – Article 68 of the [[Constitution of Venezuela]]<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.observatoriodeconflictos.org.ve/oc/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/INFORMEcriminalizaci%C3%B3nyrepresi%C3%B3n-FINAL-digital-1.pdf |title=Situación de la criminalización y represión en Venezuela- 2018 |date=17 December 2023 |publisher=Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social |location=Caracas, Venezuela |publication-date=February 2019 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026160756/https://www.observatoriodeconflictos.org.ve/oc/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/INFORMEcriminalizaci%C3%B3nyrepresi%C3%B3n-FINAL-digital-1.pdf |archive-date=26 October 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Politics}}
* [[Free speech zone]]
* [[Right to protest]]
* [[Strategy-31]]
* [[Unlawful assembly]]
* [[United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.osce.org/odihr/24523 Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly] OSCE/ODIHR, 2007
** [http://www.osce.org/odihr/73405 Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (2nd edition)] Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR, 2010

{{Liberty}}
{{Particular human rights}}
{{US1stAmendment Assemble and Petition Clause Supreme Court case law}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Freedom of assembly|Freedom of assembly]]
[[Category:Human rights by issue]]
[[Category:First Amendment to the United States Constitution]]