The Wapping demonstration was in response to large protests by labour unions against the industrial relations policies of media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
The National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer certification program was established in 1968 in New York City in response to protests at Columbia University and citywide antiwar and civil rights demonstrations.
That same year, guild students organized for the defense of people swept up in mass arrests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The presence of legal observers may serve as a deterrent to unconstitutional behavior by law enforcement during a demonstration.
In September 2000, Pt'chang Nonviolent Community Safety Group organised a large legal observer team for the S11 protest against the World Economic Forum in Melbourne.