Public meetings and demonstrations

The Constitution of Finland guarantees everyone the freedom of assembly, that is, the freedom to organise demonstrations and participate in them (section 13).

Provisions on the organisers of demonstrations are laid down in the Assembly Act (section 5). In principle, only persons over 18 years of age are allowed to organise demonstrations. Underage persons who have turned 15 may act as an organiser only if the person is capable of fulfilling the requirements set for demonstration organisers. Persons under the age of 15 may organise a demonstration together with a person over the age of 18.

There is no preventive censorship in Finland. The police cannot restrict the freedom of assembly or freedom of speech in advance, and this applies to demonstrations as well. However, the police may evaluate afterwards whether any laws were violated in a demonstration.

Demonstrations are sometimes organised without prior notice. Even if no notice has been submitted, the police will not prevent or prohibit the organising of a demonstration, unless the demonstration endangers public order or safety. If an unannounced demonstration is organised in an inappropriate location, the police may move the demonstrators to a suitable place to continue exercising their freedom of assembly.

A prohibited association or other organisation may not organise demonstrations, but if the prior notice is given under some other name than that of the prohibited organisation, the police cannot prevent the demonstration in advance.

The police may disclose the name of the organiser of a demonstration if the organiser is an association, organisation, other corporation or association or another legally competent legal person. If the organiser is a private person, the police may disclose the name of this person except in individual cases in which this would result in the disclosure of confidential information. 

In each case, the police will consider the disclosure of information on a case-by-case basis. Provisions on information to be kept secret are laid down in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.

The organiser of a demonstration must notify the police of a public meeting no later than 24 hours before the beginning of the meeting, in order for the police to make preparations to ensure the safety of the demonstration and the appropriate traffic arrangements by allocating adequate resources. However, no permit is required for organising a demonstration. If the meeting does not cause undue disturbance to public order and safety, a notification submitted later may also be considered valid.

The notification must be submitted by filling in an electronic form or by delivering a completed printable form to the police department of the locality where the demonstration is organised. The notification can be submitted to the police department in person or by post, or through the online service of the police. The link to the instructions for submitting the notification, and the form, are given above on this page.

Provisions on the contents of the notification on a demonstration are laid down in the Assembly Act (section 8). The notification on a public meeting shall contain the following information:

• the organiser of the meeting
• the purpose of the meeting
• the place of the meeting or the route of the procession
• the time of beginning and estimated time of ending the meeting
• the persons appointed by the organiser to maintain order in the meeting
• the constructions and other special equipment to be used in the meeting.

In addition, the meeting organiser must nominate in the notification a contact person, who must be reachable by the police in matters concerning the organising of the meeting.

The organiser must submit a notification of the demonstration no later than 24 hours prior to the event.

The organiser or a person appointed by the organiser acts as the contact person for the police before the demonstration. After a notification of the demonstration has been submitted, the police will, in most cases, contact the organiser to obtain further information on the upcoming demonstration and to agree on common rules. The police are interested in knowing, for example, the estimated number of participants, the subject and time of the demonstration and any requirements for traffic arrangements. The aim is to ensure, in agreement with the organiser, a safe and peaceful demonstration.

The organiser or a person appointed by the organiser acts as the contact person for the police during the demonstration. If necessary, this person will negotiate with the police or intervene with the progress of the demonstration. The organiser is responsible for ensuring that, during the demonstration, the demonstrators comply with the law and follow the guidelines agreed with the police. 

The organiser of the demonstration can be considered to have committed a crime if he or she does not comply with the orders given by the police or take action regarding any security threats detected.

The organiser of the demonstration is not required to appoint persons who maintain order, but the organiser is responsible for ensuring order and safety in the meeting. For this purpose, persons to maintain order may be appointed. 

These persons must have a valid security steward licence, or they must be separately approved by the police in order to have the same rights as security stewards. Provisions on maintaining order are laid down in the Private Security Services Act.

In a demonstration, the task of the security stewards is to ensure that the demonstrators stay in the designated area or route and follow the guidelines and orders given by the police. The security stewards supervise the demonstration, and they are not authorised to intervene in any external incidents. For example, if an external party starts to provoke the demonstrators, the police will intervene with the incident instead of the security stewards.

A demonstration may be organised outdoors in a public square, opening, street or another similar public place that is suitable for the purposes of a meeting, without the permission of the owner or holder (section 9, the Assembly Act). However, the owner or holder may restrict the use of such a place for meeting purposes, if the public meeting may cause unreasonable inconvenience to the owner or holder or unreasonable damage to the environment.

An appropriate place for the purposes of a meeting is a place in which the demonstration does not disturb traffic, hinder access to a public place or prevent access to business premises, for example. The route of a demonstration may be changed due to another demonstration or traffic arrangements.

In private places, such as shopping centres and business premises, the organising of a demonstration is subject to the specific permission of the owner or holder of the venue.

The task of the police is to ensure public order and safety and the demonstrators’ right to demonstrate. In plain language, this means that the police are there to ensure that everything goes well. If necessary, the police will intervene with disturbances and direct traffic, if for example the demonstration procession so requires. Provisions on the duty of the police to safeguard the exercise of the freedom of assembly are laid down in the Assembly Act (section 19).

The police are present also in order to be able to negotiate in close contact with the organiser or the contact person appointed by the organiser. Negotiations are required if there is a need to change the location or route of the demonstration, or if an incident threatens to endanger the safety of bystanders or the demonstrators.

The police can change the time or place of a demonstration

• if several demonstrations are notified to be arranged in the same place at the same time, and it is not possible to organise them simultaneously. As a rule, the organiser who first submitted the notification shall have precedence to the notified location. An exception to this principle is possible if the traditions or agreements related to the meeting location support that.
• if organising the demonstration in the notified place will compromise the safety of people, cause considerable harm to the environment or damage to property, cause unreasonable inconvenience to bystanders, traffic or an event pertaining to a state visit or an international conference arranged by a public corporation or another event requiring similar security arrangements.
• if the flow of the traffic so requires. The route of a demonstration procession may have to be changed due to traffic arrangements of the route of another procession.

A demonstration may be relocated to another place suitable for the purpose of the meeting after the police has negotiated the relocation with the organiser. If the contact person appointed by the organiser of the demonstration cannot be reached, the police may undertake the measures referred to in legislation without negotiating with the contact person. Provisions on the restrictions concerning the meeting location are laid down in the Assembly Act (section 10).

In a demonstration, you can, for example, use your voice, march, move about, hold signs and banners, distribute material, use sound reproduction equipment, give speeches and use candles, provided that the health and safety of other people are not endangered.

Public order or safety must not be endangered in demonstrations, and all unlawful activity is prohibited. This means that you may not, for example, throw rocks, cans or petrol bombs or use violence, smoke flares, explosives, distress flares or smoke in demonstrations. In addition, the police may prohibit the possession of intoxicants in demonstrations.

The use of remotely controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, that is, drones, is allowed in demonstrations if the demonstration takes place in an area with no permanent or temporary no-fly zone or aviation is not restricted for other reasons. However, drones may not be flown above crowds. 

In most cases, city centres are no-fly zones. In no-fly zones, a separate permit must be obtained for flying a drone.

The police may intervene in a demonstration if it endangers public order and safety or obstructs traffic. A demonstration may be interrupted if the advice, requests or orders of the police are not followed or if the demonstrators break the law, for example by fighting.

Interrupting a demonstration will always be considered on a case-by-case basis, and the advice and requests of the police are always based on an assessment of the situation at the time. The police will primarily try to negotiate with the organiser in order to avoid interrupting the demonstration.

The demonstration may be allowed to continue if it no longer endangers public order and safety, obstructs traffic or is not essentially unlawful. However, the demonstration may be dispersed if it can no longer continue lawfully. 

In the case of a demonstration, the on-scene commander or senior duty commanding officer decides on police actions. If the order by the police to disperse or relocate is not complied with, the police may use forcible measures to disperse the crowd.

If, on the basis of a demonstrator’s conduct, it seems that he or she would commit an offence or pose an immediate danger to public order or safety, the police have the right to remove this person from the scene (Police Act, chapter 2, section 10). If removing the person from the scene is not likely to prevent criminal activities and if it is evident that the person will commit a crime, the person may be apprehended. In all cases, the aim is to avoid having to remove or apprehend a person, first by using more moderate methods, such as advice, requests and orders.

The police may apprehend a demonstrator if the demonstrator endangers the health or personal integrity of other people, or public order. Examples of this include using a torch, throwing things, starting a fight, intimidation and verbal or physical violent behaviour.

The decision to apprehend a demonstrator is made by the on-scene commander, or, in an urgent situation, an individual police officer. Depending on the situation, the person is apprehended immediately or after the demonstration.

The starting point of police operations is that the primary aim of the police is to use discussion to prevent and avoid the occurrence of situations that endanger safety. If the desired outcome cannot be reached through discussion, before giving orders, the police can advice the person or crowd to comply with the law. The use of force is the last resort.

When carrying out official duties, police officers have the right to use necessary force that can be considered justifiable to overcome resistance, remove a person from a place, carry out an apprehension, prevent the escape of a person who has been deprived of his or her liberty, remove an obstacle or prevent an immediate risk of an offence or some other dangerous act or event (Police Act, chapter 2, section 17). In other words, the police may use force in a demonstration if it is necessary in order to calm down or stop an incident or act.

When force is used, the most moderate means available are utilised in view of the situation. If the situation is demanding, the police may use equipment for applying force.

The decision to use force is made by the on-scene commander, senior duty commanding officer, group leader or an individual police officer, who assesses the situation and acts accordingly. In an emergency, the police are required to make quick decisions in order to maintain order and safety. In all situations, urgent or not, the aim of the police is always to prevent dangerous situations. 

Mounted police are involved when it is considered useful. Mounted police play an important role in crowd control. Police officers sitting high on a horse have a calming effect on crowds. In addition, when sitting in the saddle, the police officers have good visibility that makes it easier to monitor large crowds and situations. Large animals can also be used to restrict the movement of crowds.

Mounted police are used in large demonstrations of which there is advance information. Even though the police have horses only in Helsinki, mounted police can be moved to other locations if necessary.

The police may use remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, that is, drones, in large mass events and gatherings to obtain an overview of the situation and to estimate the number of participants involved.

Sometimes participants in demonstrations disguise themselves to protect their privacy or due to the weather conditions. Wearing a disguise is not prohibited as such, and the police take no stand on the matter. 

However, illegal wearing of a disguise is prohibited under the Criminal Code of Finland (Criminal Code of Finland, chapter 17, section 13 a). Covering your face in an event that takes place in a public place is deemed illegal wearing of a disguise when the intention is to use violence against a person or cause damage to property. Illegal wearing of a disguise can result in a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of three months.

Demonstrators may carry signs, posters, banners, flags and flag poles. Sound reproduction equipment is also allowed, but noise level limits must be complied with in some areas. 

Provisions on demonstration equipment are laid down in the Assembly Act (section 11). In addition, under the Assembly Act, the organiser must ensure that the equipment used in the demonstration does not cause danger or unreasonable inconvenience to the participants, bystanders or environment.

There are no specific provisions that would prohibit pets from being brought to a demonstration. The Animal Welfare Act must be complied with in demonstrations, too, so that the owner must ensure that no undue suffering is caused to the animal, for example due to loud noise.

Demonstrators sometimes use a car for sound reproduction or to display material. Sound cars cannot be deemed to be regular meeting equipment referred to in the Assembly Act (section 11), but they are usually allowed for practical reasons. However, a car can be dangerous in a crowd: it can affect police operations and in the worst case, it may endanger the safety of participants and outsiders. In such situations, the police may prohibit the use of a car.