{"id":46707,"date":"2022-02-15T18:18:18","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T23:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/rights-protesters"},"modified":"2025-06-17T16:08:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T20:08:53","slug":"rights-protesters","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/free-speech\/rights-protesters","title":{"rendered":"Rights of Protesters"},"parent":46479,"menu_order":4,"template":"","class_list":["post-46707","issue","type-issue","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"featured-image":210689,"intro":"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.","what-you-need-to-know":null,"promo":{"description":"","button":"","url":""},"faq":{"description":"","faq-items":null},"featured-stories":null,"latest-stories":null,"whats-at-stake":{"title":"What's at Stake","description":"Know Your Rights: What to Do if Your Rights are Violated at a Protest<\/a>\r\n\r\nThe right to join with fellow citizens in protest or peaceful assembly is critical to a functioning democracy and at the core of the First Amendment. Unfortunately, law enforcement officials sometimes violate this right through means intended to thwart free public expression.\r\n\r\nIn recent history, challenges to the right to protest have come in many forms. In some cases, police crack down on demonstrations through mass arrests, illegal use of force, or curfews. Elsewhere, law enforcement limits expression by corralling protesters into so-called \u201cfree-speech zones.\u201d And increasingly, new surveillance technologies are turned on innocent people, collecting information on their activities by virtue of their association with or proximity to a given protest.\r\n\r\nEven without active obstruction of the right to protest, limitations on that right or fear of police intimidation can chill expressive activity and result in self-censorship. The ACLU, along with affiliates across the country, monitors the government\u2019s respect for this foundational right. We intervene\u2014through police departments, the courts, and the dissemination of Know Your Rights<\/a> materials\u2014so that the right to public expression is respected for everyone."},"actions":"","drupal-id":157,"is_hidden_issue":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rights of Protesters | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/free-speech\/rights-protesters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-17T20:08:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/free-speech\/rights-protesters\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/free-speech\/rights-protesters\",\"name\":\"Rights of Protesters | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-15T23:18:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-17T20:08:53+00:00\",\"description\":\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/free-speech\/rights-protesters\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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