1. FOREWORD The right to assemble peacefully is fundamental to any functioning democracy. The vast majority of public assemblies are peaceful in nature, where the primary role for police should be one of facilitation. The policing of assemblies is challenging when some participants act violently, and it is important that police officers, the public and property are protected from undue levels of risk. Force may only be used exceptionally, however, and even then it is subject to strict limitations. When some participants in an otherwise peaceful assembly resort to violence, the authorities must still do their utmost to facilitate the assembly and protect its participants, differentiating between the peaceful majority and those specific individuals engaged in violence. While any violent individuals forfeit their right to the freedom of peaceful assembly, they retain all their other rights, including the right to life and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. When force is used inappropriately or excessively against participants in an assembly, the human rights, social and independent impacts are potentially severe. These can include injuries or deaths, lasting trauma for the individual(s), community or group affected, and damaged civic engagement, as some people may be dissuaded from exercising their right to the freedom of peaceful assembly again. Widespread dissemination of imagery showing assemblies being violently suppressed may also undercut the legitimacy of the police and political institutions in the eyes of the wider public. The Omega Research Foundation (Omega) has documented the growing range of equipment used to police assemblies and the evolution in how it is used over the last 30 years. Throughout this time, Omega has sought to support and facilitate the activities of human rights monitors working to uphold the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the right to life. ODIHR works to provide assistance to the OSCE participating States to meet their obligations under OSCE human dimension commitments and international human rights law. In the area of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, ODIHR monitors assemblies across the OSCE region, and trains independent assembly monitors and law enforcement officials on human rights-compliant policing. OSCE commitments recognize the important role that national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and civil society organizations play in helping to ensure full respect