The Legal Language of Resistance: Anti-Authority Narratives and the Law
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In the UK context, activists and anti-authoritarian movements deliberatelyinvoke legal discourse to frame and legitimize dissent. This paper examineshow protestors use rights-based language and legal tactics to craft narrativesof resistance, and how the state and courts respond with their own legalrhetoric. Drawing on socio-legal theory and recent UK case studies (fromsocial centres to climate actions), it shows that law serves both as a resourceand a restraint: protestors borrow constitutional and international-rightslanguage to justify civil disobedience, while authorities label dissent as“disruption” or “extremism” and deploy restrictive laws. The interplay of thesenarratives, through courts, media, and legislation, shapes the trajectory ofBritish protest.
