What is "freedom of assembly"

n. The right of citizens to freely congregate or assemble anywhere should they wish to.

n. the right peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances; guaranteed by the 1st amendment to the US constitution

Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right or ability of people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their ideas. The right to freedom of association is recognized as a human right, a political right and a civil liberty.

The terms freedom of assembly and freedom of association may be used to distinguish between the freedom to assemble in public places and the freedom to join an association. Freedom of assembly is often used in the context of the right to protest, while freedom of association is used in the context of labor rights and in the Constitution of the United States is interpreted to mean both the freedom to assemble and the freedom to join an association.

The United States Constitution explicitly provides for 'the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances' in the First Amendment.

Common constraints on the right to assemble are a class of time, place and manner regulations. A second type of constraint is the requirement to obtain a permit, where coordination may be needed to ensure public safety.