In the Right to Demonstrate, Paul Harris traces the origin of the right to hold demonstrations to the ancient right to petition the English Crown. He then describes how in eighteenth century England rioting was gradually replaced by peaceful demonstrations, leading eventually to Parliamentary democracy. The book then looks at the spread of peaceful demonstrations around the world with successful eight-hour day demonstrations in Australia and worker’s May Day marches, and how in the twentieth century the right to hold a demonstration was slowly recognized as a right in itself.
The power of peaceful demonstrations to bring about great changes to the lives of millions is illustrated by the stories of Mahatma Gandhi deliberately but peacefully breaking the law during his campaign for Indian independence and Martin Luther King using demonstrations to break down segregation laws.
This comprehensive examination of the subject also considers symbolic demonstrations like flag-burning; environmental demonstrations by Greenpeace and other organizations; the tensions between demonstrations and the rights and freedoms of others; “People Power” in the Philippines; and the Tian An Men Square massacre in 1989. Its conclusion is that peaceful demonstrations are a force for good and should be everyone’s right in every country.
This well-produced hardback illustrated edition is fully indexed and annotated with a table of significant legal cases about demonstrations.
