Strasbourg, 19 June 2014 CDL-AD(2014)024* Opinion No. 769 / 2014 Engl. only EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) COMPARATIVE STUDY ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION ON FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY Requested by the Venice Commission Prepared by Ms Anne Peters (Substitute Member, Germany) and Ms Isabelle Ley Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public and International Law (Heidelberg, Germany) With contributions by: Ms Elif Askin, Ms Melina Garcin, Mr Rainer Grote, Ms Jannika Jahn, Mr Steven Less, Esq., Ms Halyna Perepelyuk, Ms Orsolya Salát, Ms Maria Stożek, Ms Evgeniya Yushkova, Ms Friederike Ziemer and ANNEXES Mr Christoph Grabenwarter (Member, Austria) Mr Ben Vermeulen (Member, the Netherlands) Ms Marjolein van Roosmalen Endorsed by the Venice Commission at its 99th Plenary Session (Venice, 13-14 June 2014) This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. www.venice.coe.int CDL-AD(2014)024 2 Table of Contents Introduction _____________________________________________________________ 9 Selection of topics of comparison ______________________________________________ 9 Selection of countries _______________________________________________________ 9 Nature of the reports and comparison _________________________________________ 10 United Kingdom (particularly England and Wales) _____________________________ 11 1. Legal bases and scope of the guarantee _____________________________________ 11 2. Restrictions ____________________________________________________________ 12 Targeted statutory powers ______________________________________________ 12 Public order (criminal) offences __________________________________________ 15 Non-targeted statutory powers and offences ________________________________ 17 By-laws _____________________________________________________________ 19 Common law powers __________________________________________________ 19 3. Implementing the constitutional guarantee and freedom of assembly legislation ______ 21 4. Securing governmental accountability _______________________________________ 22 Judicial review and the responsiveness of the democratic process _______________ 22 The Independent Police Complaints Commission and other types of review ________ 22 5. Conclusions and outlook _________________________________________________ 23 France _________________________________________________________________ 25 1. Legal bases ___________________________________________________________ 25 2. Scope of the guarantee __________________________________________________ 26 Case-law____________________________________________________________ 26 Flash mobs __________________________________________________________ 26 3. Restrictions ____________________________________________________________ 27 Place and time restrictions ______________________________________________ 27 Manner restrictions ____________________________________________________ 27 Sight and sound restrictions _____________________________________________ 28 4. Procedural issues _______________________________________________________ 29 Notification/authorization _______________________________________________ 29 Decision-making ______________________________________________________ 29 5. Specific forms of assemblies ______________________________________________ 29 Spontaneous assemblies _______________________________________________ 29 Assemblies gathered by means of new technologies __________________________ 30 Assemblies taking place on public property _________________________________ 30 Counter-demonstrations ________________________________________________ 30 6. Implementing freedom of assembly legislation ________________________________ 30 Pre-event planning ____________________________________________________ 30 Costs ______________________________________________________________ 30 Use of force _________________________________________________________ 31 Liability of organizers __________________________________________________ 31 7. Securing governmental accountability _______________________________________ 31 Review and appeal ____________________________________________________ 31 Liability and accountability of law enforcement personnel ______________________ 31 Media access ________________________________________________________ 32 8. Conclusions and Outlook _________________________________________________ 32 United States of America __________________________________________________ 33 1. Legal bases and scope of the guarantee _____________________________________ 33 Constitutional right to assemble __________________________________________ 33 Scope of the guarantee ________________________________________________ 33 2. Forms of assemblies ____________________________________________________ 34 Assemblies on public property ___________________________________________ 34 3 CDL-AD(2014)024 Assemblies on private property __________________________________________ 34 3. Restrictions ____________________________________________________________ 35 Content-based restrictions ______________________________________________ 35 Content-neutral restrictions _____________________________________________ 36 Place restrictions: restricted zones ________________________________________ 37 Vagueness and overbreadth ____________________________________________ 37 Prior restraints _______________________________________________________ 38 4. Procedural issues _______________________________________________________ 39 Notification and spontaneous assemblies __________________________________ 39 Decision-making ______________________________________________________ 39 Review of denial of permits _____________________________________________ 39 Implementation costs __________________________________________________ 39 5. Implementing the constitutional guarantee and freedom of assembly legislation ______ 39 Use of force by the police _______________________________________________ 39 Liability of assemblers _________________________________________________ 40 6. Securing government accountability ________________________________________ 40 Liability of law enforcement authorities _____________________________________ 40 Monitoring ___________________________________________________________ 40 7. Conclusions and outlook _________________________________________________ 41 Social media _________________________________________________________ 41 Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) _________________________________________ 41 Belgium ________________________________________________________________ 43 1. Legal bases ___________________________________________________________ 43 2. Scope of the guarantee __________________________________________________ 44 No specific laws on flash mobs __________________________________________ 44 3. Restrictions ____________________________________________________________ 44 Place and time restrictions ______________________________________________ 44 Manner restrictions ____________________________________________________ 45 4. Procedural issues _______________________________________________________ 46 Authorization_________________________________________________________ 46 Decision-making ______________________________________________________ 46 Review and appeal ____________________________________________________ 46 5. Specific forms of assemblies ______________________________________________ 47 Assemblies gathered by means of new technologies (social networks etc.) ________ 47 Spontaneous assemblies _______________________________________________ 47 Assemblies taking place on public property _________________________________ 48 Counter-demonstrations ________________________________________________ 48 6. Implementing the constitutional guarantee and freedom of assembly legislation ______ 48 Pre-event planning ____________________________________________________ 48 Costs ______________________________________________________________ 48 Use of force by the police _______________________________________________ 48 Liability of organizers __________________________________________________ 49 7. Securing government accountability ________________________________________ 49 Liability and accountability of law enforcement personnel ______________________ 49 Media access ________________________________________________________ 50 8. Conclusions and outlook _________________________________________________ 50 Germany _______________________________________________________________ 51 1. Legal bases ___________________________________________________________ 51 2. Scope of the constitutional guarantee _______________________________________ 51 Ratione personae _____________________________________________________ 51 Rationae materiae ____________________________________________________ 52 3. Restrictions ____________________________________________________________ 54 4. Implementing the constitutional guarantee: The Federal Assembly Act _____________ 55 Indoor assemblies ____________________________________________________ 55 Outdoor assemblies ___________________________________________________ 55 5. Impact of other laws _____________________________________________________ 57 CDL-AD(2014)024 4 General provisions concerning liability, costs etc. ____________________________ 57 The recent Assembly Acts of the states (Länder) _____________________________ 57 6. Conclusions and outlook _________________________________________________ 58 Turkey _________________________________________________________________