Public Order Act 2009 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 1 · Preliminary
3. Meanings of “organising” and “taking part in”
Feedback & supportIn this Act, a reference to a person organising an assembly or a procession is a reference to a person who is responsible for holding, convening, forming or collecting the assembly or procession, and includes —
assembly
“assembly” means a gathering or meeting (whether or not comprising any lecture, talk, address, debate or discussion) of persons the purpose (or one of the purposes) of which is —(a)to demonstrate support for or opposition to the views or actions of any person, group of persons or any government;(b)to publicise a cause or campaign; or(c)to mark or commemorate any event,and includes a demonstration by a person alone for any purpose mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c);
any person who assists or promotes the holding, convening, forming or collecting of any assembly or procession; and
where any person will receive revenue from the sale (if any) of tickets to the assembly or procession, that person,but does not include a person carrying on a demonstration by himself or herself or marching alone.
A reference to a person or persons taking part in an assembly or a procession includes (as the case may be) a person carrying on a demonstration by himself or herself, or a march by a person alone, for any purpose mentioned in the definitions of an assembly and a procession, respectively, in section 2(1).
procession
“procession” means a march, parade or other procession, whether or not involving the use of vehicles or other conveyances —(a)comprising 2 or more persons gathered at a place of assembly to move from that place substantially as a body of persons in succession proceeding by a common route or routes; and(b)the purpose (or one of the purposes) of which is —(i)to demonstrate support for or opposition to the views or actions of any person, group of persons or any government;(ii)to publicise a cause or campaign; or(iii)to mark or commemorate any event,and includes any assembly held in conjunction with such procession, and a march by a person alone for any purpose mentioned in paragraph (b)(i), (ii) or (iii);