Defending Rights to Protest

By Bruce Henry, QA Presiding Clerk

On 27 March more than 20 police armed with tasers broke in the Westminster Meeting House. They didn’t knock or ring the bell but forced their way in. They arrested six young women who were holding a planning meeting for nonviolent protest over concerns about climate and Gaza.

Quakers in Britain strongly condemned the violation of their place of worship which they say is a direct result of stricter protest laws removing virtually all routes to challenge the status quo.
Quakers support the right to nonviolent public protest, acting themselves from a deep moral imperative to stand up against injustice and for our planet.

Many Quakers have taken nonviolent direct action over the centuries from the abolition of slavery to women's suffrage and prison reform.

Recording Clerk of British Yearly Meeting, Paul Parker stated:

“This aggressive violation of our place of worship and the forceful removal of young people holding a protest group meeting clearly shows what happens when a society criminalises protest. Freedom of speech, assembly, and fair trials are an essential part of free public debate which underpins democracy."

To us in Australia, this incident sharpens concerns about any extension of police powers to do with legitimate peaceful protests and should act as a caution to the governments in Victoria and New South Wales as they seek to restrict protests.
 
In particular this is relevant to the proposed suggestion in Victoria that protests should not be permitted near a place of worship. Members of faith communities need the right to protest against such aggressive actions by police for instance.
 
These are not easy times - not for government, not for victims of war or discrimination and not for the earth.
Let us maintain rights to protest in a spirit of respect for all people and of love of the earth.