Illustration: Noa OlchovskyIn the past few days, several social protest activists received summonses to come to police stations, apparently in order to gauge the protest plans for the summer. These sumonses constitute an abuse of interrogation authorities granted to the police, which are intended for the purpose of investigating offenses and handling crime. The police are not allowed to use this authority in order to gauge the intentions of activists planning a protest activity.
Activists who receive such a summons to a police station have no legal obligation to accept. However, since not appearing for an investigation might have future legal consequences, it is recommended to contact the police station and try to clarify the reason for being summoned.
The police have an important role in realizing the constitutional right to demonstrate, but the decision to summon activists is wrongful, severely harms freedom of expression, and deters activists from engaging in protest. If the police wish to receive information in order to adequately prepare for the summer protest, they can try and schedule work meetings with protest organizers, but they have no authority to do so by summoning them for an interrogation.
