Right to protest

For example, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights contains prohibitions on "propaganda of war" and advocacy of "national, racial or religious hatred"; and it allows the restriction of the freedom to assembly if it is necessary "in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others."

Protesting, however, is not necessarily violent or a threat to the interests of national security or public safety.

This can happen, for example, when such resistance arises in response to a military coup d'état;[4] or in the somewhat similar case of a refusal of the state leadership to surrender office following defeat in an election.

Many employers, educational institutions,[5] and professional associations[6] maintain demonstration policies that limit the rights of their members to protest, for instance by restricting them to free speech zones.

In the United States, the landmark 1969 Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court case established the student right to protest so long as it does not cause "substantial disruption".