106 Resource book on the use of force and firearms in law enforcement Chapter 7. Public assemblies and protests Part IV of the resource book deals with a number of specific policing situations that are often characterized by arbitrary or excessive use of force. Chapter 7 deals with the policing of public assemblies and protests, which is specifically referred to in Basic Principles 12-14: “12. As everyone is allowed to participate in lawful and peaceful assemblies, in accordance with the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Governments and law enforcement agencies and officials shall recognize that force and firearms may be used only in accordance with principles 13 and 14. 13. In the dispersal of assemblies that are unlawful but non-violent, law enforcement officials shall avoid the use of force or, where that is not practicable, shall restrict such force to the minimum extent necessary. 14. In the dispersal of violent assemblies, law enforcement officials may use firearms only when less dangerous means are not practicable and only to the minimum extent necessary. Law enforcement officials shall not use firearms in such cases, except under the conditions stipulated in principle 9.” The chapter further outlines the international human rights framework regarding assemblies and protests. It explores what can be done to avoid the use of force in the policing of such events, what preparatory measures can be taken, what principles apply to the use of force during assemblies, and offers practical recommendations for their proper management, with appropriate accountability measures. 7.1. Introduction The right to peaceful assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression must be guaranteed in domestic law and the law should explicitly allow for both planned and spontaneous assemblies. Where notification procedure is in place, this should be a notification of intent rather than a request for permission.230 The Human Rights Council has urged States to “facilitate 230  It should be noted that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and also the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions have underlined that the rationale for a notification system should be to allow State authorities to facilitate the exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to take appropriate measures to protect public safety and order, as well as the rights and freedoms of protesters and other individuals affected by the protests. Spontaneous and simultaneous assemblies should be regulated by the same procedure and should also be protected. See for example A/HRC/22/28, para. 11; A/HRC/31/66, para. 21.