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Displacement of protest during the G20 Summit in South Africa

- Omhle Ntshingila

The Right2Protest Project and coalition members condemn the restriction on protest during the G20 Summit in South Africa

The Right2Protest Project (R2P) notes with grave concern the increasing use of national instructions and heightened security directives that have the effect of displacing and restricting protest during the G20 proceedings in South Africa. While it is understandable that the state must take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of delegates and maintain public order, such measures cannot lawfully or morally be used to curtail constitutionally protected rights.

The right to peaceful protest, enshrined in section 17 of the Constitution, guarantees that every person has the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket, and present petitions peacefully and unarmed. This right is not suspended during international or multilateral events. The G20’s presence in South Africa does not create an exception to the Constitution. To prevent citizens from protesting in proximity to G20 venues  where their dissent would be most visible and impactful constitutes an unlawful limitation and undermines the spirit of participatory democracy.

The people are not a threat to the G20, its participating states, or their representatives. To equate civic expression with instability is to fundamentally misread the role of protest in a democratic society. Protesters are an essential part of South Africa’s democratic fabric; they articulate the grievances, hopes, and demands of communities who continue to experience marginalisation, inequality, and exclusion.

Importantly, voices on the ground represent not only the struggles of people in South Africa, but also the shared struggles of people across the globe from those confronting inequality and injustice to those demanding peace, accountability, and self-determination. These are global struggles that require immediate attention, not silence. To suppress these voices during the G20 is to turn away from the very issues this gathering claims to address.

We therefore call on the National Police Commissioner to issue clear and lawful instructions to all presiding officers and municipal authorities across G20 host cities. Police operations and municipal coordination must prioritise dialogue, facilitation, and cooperation with community organisers, social movements, and human rights observers to ensure that protests are managed lawfully, safely, and with respect for human dignity.

The integrity of the right to protest must be safeguarded during and beyond the G20. The right to development is inseparable from the right to dissent without the ability to challenge, critique, and demand accountability, development becomes exclusionary and undemocratic. Civic movements in South Africa represent not disorder, but democracy in action.

We therefore urge the government, law enforcement agencies, and local authorities to act in accordance with the Constitution, the Regulations of Gatherings Act , international human rights standards, and the principles of transparent governance. Protecting the right to protest during this moment of global attention is not a threat to security, it is a testament to South Africa’s democratic strength and its solidarity with global struggles for justice.

We also urge communities to contact the Right2Protest Hotline on 0800 212 111 if they are being prevented from protesting or intimidated by presiding officers or the police during these times. Our hotline exists to provide immediate support and legal assistance to those whose rights are being violated.

This statement is endorsed by the following organisations:

  • Centre For Environmental Rights
  • Lawyers for Human Rights
  • Freedom of Expression Institute
  • Ndifuna Ukwazi
  • Legal Resources Centre
  • Centre For Applied Legal Studies

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The Right2Protest is a coalition of civil society organisations that aims to promote and protect the right to protest.

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