Police have warned climate protesters could face up to 14 years in jail for ‘endangering transport’ – longer than the maximum for serious crimes like ram-raiding.
Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon walks with Tamara Lich as they make their way to the courthouse on the first day of Lich’s trial for organizing the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Ongoing criminal proceedings in Canada and the U.S. tied to high-profile uprisings must shed light on how large protests can avoid incurring the full wrath of the state.
New Zealand has more laws about respecting the flag than about protecting parliament and its grounds. The 23-day occupation in Wellington showed how much needs to change.
The prime minister and police have asked that children be removed from the protest at parliament – but the situation is legally and logistically complex.
Debris lies on the ground in front of Parliament Hill’s gates after police took action to clear Ottawa streets of trucks and protesters opposed to vaccine mandates.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
There have been bigger protests in other Canadian cities, but the so-called freedom convoy against vaccine mandates could be a sign of a rise in right-wing and libertarian sentiments.
With the occupation of parliament grounds entering its second week, police walk a thin blue line between enforcing the law and not inflaming the situation.
From his positions at the United Nations, Professor Heyns made a huge impact on the protection of the right to life and the right of peaceful assembly.
Protesters clash with police in February in Cape Town over student funding.
Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images
Instead of being a democratic right and legitimate form of expression, protests have increasingly been framed as threats to national security.
A Sudanese protester waves the Sudanese and Algerian flags. Peaceful protestors in both countries eventually toppled their long term presidents.
EPA-EFE/Amel Pain
South Africa’s Constitutional Court has performed remarkably well in protecting democracy since 1995.
Research found that media largely frame debate about oil and gas developments in New Zealand around how drilling should take place, rather than whether it should happen at all.
Garry Knight/flickr
Sophie Bond, University of Otago; Amanda Thomas, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington, and Gradon Diprose, Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
Researchers find that mainstream media in New Zealand tend to present fossil fuel development as positive for the economy, while framing opponents as irrational and extremist.
Chief Research Specialist in Democracy and Citizenship at the Human Science Research Council and a Research Fellow Centre for African Studies, University of the Free State