Legal Observers

Legal Observer Teams monitor and report on the policing of protest events.

Civilian legal observers are Human Rights Defenders and under the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, and have a right to fulfil their roles unhindered and without obstruction.

What Legal Observers Do

Legal observers observe, record and monitor the actions of police and private security personnel including:

• detailing interactions between police/security personnel and members of the public

• taking photos and/or videos of key incidents

• making a detailed written account of any incidents

• collecting evidence for further reports or follow-up after the event

Why have Legal Observers

Legal observers are independent from the protests they attend. As such they neither liaise with police or other groups about people attending the protest, nor participate in the protest in any other capacity (eg as a police liaison or marshal).

Having legal observers at a protest sends a message of solidarity with, and affirmation of, the democratic right of citizens to protest. Protesters who may feel frightened by the situation they find themselves in can feel more supported when legal observers are present.

Experience in many areas has found that having legal observers at a protest acts as a deterrence for poor behaviour on the part of police and security personnel towards protesters. Notes and records collected by legal observers can be used to provide evidence for ongoing dialogue with police about police behaviour.

Become a Legal Observer

When necessary, we run Legal Observer Training workshops for people who are interested in learning the basics of legal observing, how it works, what it can be used for, and why it’s important for activists. This training is a requirement for being a legal observer with us; however, it’s also a great opportunity to get to know the basics of legal observing and the skills involved for use in your own organisation.

To join a team or find out more, fill in your details HERE.

Request a Legal Observer Team

We consider fielding Legal Observer Teams upon invitation, and according to our volunteer capacity. We work across diverse movements, campaigns, and protest events, and we need to prioritise our resources and capacity. When we need to choose, we tend to focus on protecting the political space of groups that are experiencing or resisting structural or systemic oppression; or are more likely to be targeted by police or state repression.

To request Legal Observers at your event, please click on the button in the navigation bar and fill out the Request Action Support form (information goes to a secure email address).