Freedom of Association in United Kingdom

Definition of Freedom of Association

In accordance with the work A Dictionary of Law, this is a description of Freedom of Association : A right set out in Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights and now part of UK law as a consequence of the *Human Rights Act 1998. This right protects freedom of peaceful assembly, including the right to form and join trade unions and similar bodies. It is a *qualified right; as such, the public interest can be used to justify an interference with it providing that this is prescribed by law, designed for a legitimate purpose, and proportionate. The right of those in the armed forces, the police, and the administration of the state is protected only to the extent that any interference with this right must be prescribed by law.