Policing the anti-globalisation protests: patterns and variations in state responses

The arrival of the anti-globalisation movement was manifested in a new wave of protests involving innovative tactics targeting the summit meetings of a variety of international bodies and institutions. In response a new pattern of state management of these protests has developed which goes beyond traditional methods of protest policing. This pattern has involved constraints on civil liberties, including the right to protest and the right to free movement, militarisation of policing, transnational cooperation between police forces, increased surveillance and media and image management. We delineate this new pattern of state management of political dissent by examining policing strategies across five continents, noting national and regional variations in state policing responses