Freedom of Assembly: Why Do Authoritarians Hate It So Much?

Free assembly is vital to democracy. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, then, that authoritarian governments in Europe are restricting this right in illegitimate ways. In democratic societies, free assembly is one of the instruments by which people can bring about social change. There are some justified ways to put impositions on public assemblies. For example, it may be legitimate to ban a purposely loud demonstration in a densely populated area in the middle of the night, for this may disproportionately disturb the lives of many. But it would surely not be legitimate to refuse a notice for a loud demonstration in front of the Parliament building during a session. Unfortunately, a number of European governments impose illegitimate restrictions on the freedom of assembly these days. Read more here.

Source: Liberties