PUBLIC TALK: Criminalising dissent: Social movements and the erosion of protest rights

A public lecture by Greg Martin, Senior Lecturer in Socio-Legal Studies, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney

This lecture will consider how criminologists have engaged in debates about human rights largely by looking at state crimes perpetrated by repressive regimes. In this context, social movements have used international opportunities structures to raise awareness about human rights violations in domestic settings.

Dr Martin will also discuss whether and to what extent protest can be regarded a legal right in democratic societies. He will examine recent transformations in public order policing, which, it is argued, reflect a political economy of protest and escalation in the criminalisation of dissent. He will conclude by considering how activists are increasingly able to use digital modes of public engagement not only to circumvent state suppression of protest but also as a means of participating in regular political processes.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Law and Society Teaching and Research Network and the Law School and the Institute of Advanced Studies at The University of Western Australia.

Cost: FREE but RSVP requested via the website