In the United States, the First Amendment protects freedom of religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition peaceably. This means that protesting your opposition against something is entirely legal in the eyes of the law as long as it is done peacefully. In other words, you have the right to protest peacefully, but you do not have the right to incite damage or violence towards others. This can include trespassing, vandalism, disobeying lawful orders given by government officials, obscene speech, and making malicious statements about others. If found to be making any of these actions, you can legally be detained and forced to face legal repercussions. To see this more clearly, here is a list of cans and can-nots of protesting;
Cans
- Protest in a public place (park, streets, sidewalks, etc.)
- Chant non-offensive saying (No justice, no peace)
- Record or photograph anything around you as long as it’s on public property
- Refuse to show or delete any image or video created during the protest
- Refuse to consent to have you or your belongings searched
Can-not
- Block a building entrance
- Intentionally harm/harass others
- Protest on private property (unless the owner grants permission)
- Run over protestors in the street
- Attempt to start a riot