In Trinidad and Tobago you need to ask the police for permission to protest against police brutality.
A public meeting is a gathering of persons in public to discuss a matter of public interest. So a protest is a public meeting.
Oh, before I dive into the research on how to protest like a boss and avoid getting lockup, do I really need to say that this post is not legal advice? It isn’t.
If you’re planning a protest or, to use the legal term, public meeting, think about this video as a how to guide, because while you don’t need a permit to gather and play football or drink rum by the river, you need permisison if you want to gather publicly and discuss serious matters like crime, police brutality or the rising price of doubles.
In Trinidad, the right to protest exists, but even the right to stand still outside a police station holding placards may require police permission.
In theory applying for a “Public Meeting Permit” seems like a straightforward process and that’s what I want to talk to you about today: How to beg for the right to protest In Trinidad and Tobago.
In Trinidad, public meetings or protests often require permits, while static protests have been treated more leniently. Based on which police officer you talk to, the lines could get blurred.
For example, a recent public meeting or protest outside the police administration building in Port of Spain, was dispersed. Subsequent comments from the Deputy Commissioner of Police and an official release contradicted each other. The DCP essentially said “Small numbers, no traffic disruption, it’s probably fine”; while the official release said, “”We dispersed them anyway because of public safety/order.”
So, on one hand you have a senior official saying, “Relax nah”. While corporate communications comes out with their guns blazing, no pun intended, with threats of $100,000 fines and five years in jail.
The official release reminded citizens that under the SoE, police can restrict gatherings, search without warrants, declare areas “protected places,” and generally flex harder than a baddist.
We’ll get to the The Emergency Powers Regulations in a bit but it basically let police do what they want during a State of Emergency. The irony is that people were protesting police-related issues… right outside the Police Administration Building… and got told to move because it might affect “public safety.”
So, if you’re planning a public meeting or participating a protest especially during a State of Emergency be smart. Don’t be like that one All Fours partner who does stand up on bare jack and get hang every single time. I hate when that happens, boy, because my wife always quarrels when I stand up on bare jack, and get hanged.
Let’s talk about applying for a public meeting permit. You must apply for a Public Meetings Permit at least 14 days in advance.
You can apply online or in person at the nearest police station where you plan to stage the protest. Although up to the time I recorded this video the online form said you needed to apply at least 21 days in advance perhaps because the same programmers who wrote the program for the passport office wrote the program for the police. And, when I clicked some of the information pages the pages went nowhere like those steps outside the church in Mt Saint Benedict.
On the form, whether you fill it out online or in person, you’ll need to spill your guts. You’re required to present your Valid identification , either your National ID, Passport, or Driver’s Permit. Then there’s a formal letter to the Commissioner. Date, time, location, the expected number of comrades who will attend, and purpose. Plus details of your fellow plotters. Hit submit and wait.
I imagine that applying Online, hidden behind a computer screen, is fine but can you imagine walking into a police station in Trinidad to submit an application.
“Good morning!”
“Yeah, wha you want?”
“Officer, I want to apply for a public meeting permit.”
“For wha?”
“Umm. to protest police killings and the absence of body cams in 2026.”
“It have no forms, the forms run out. Apply online.”
“I tried but the form went nowhere like them steps in Mt St Benedict.”
When it comes to public meeting permits there is a core Distinction between Meetings and Marches. And it isn’t that you can meet people at a march but you can’t march people at a meet. Or can you?
For Public Marches/Processions you must get a permit from the Commissioner of Police. The Application window is at least 48 hours but no more than 14 days in advance. No permit equals illegal march.
For Public Meetings / Static Protests where protesters remain in one specific location, for example outside a police administration building, there is no statutory requirement for prior permission. In 2023, A High Court ruling explicitly clarified: “No police permission necessary” for public meetings. All that may be required is notice to the Commissioner, who can then respond if needed. Permission is not mandatory.
This precedent protects the difference between walking down the road shouting slogans which needs a permit and standing still with placards outside a building shouting “Lower the price of doubles and KFC”.
So, in Trinidad, courts have repeatedly ruled that citizens can hold static protests without begging for advance approval. Police attempts to treat every gathering as a march have been slapped down. The law does not require you to get a Public Meetings Permit for a simple demonstration — that permit is mainly for open-air speeches/meetings with amplification or large crowds. And for cases where microphones and speakers are used, organizers needs additional permits from the EMA.
Static protests fall into a grey area that courts have leaned toward protecting as freedom of assembly.
However, police can still intervene if the gathering causes obstruction, threatens public order, or violates other laws or, wait for it, there is a state of Emergency.
The State of Emergency Override is essentially The Great Equalizer.
During the current State of Emergency, Emergency Powers Regulations grant police broad discretionary powers to: Regulate, restrict, or disperse any public gathering; Declare areas “protected places” (like around the Police Administration Building); Stop, search, detain, or arrest without warrant if they suspect risk to public safety; Limit speech or organizing that could “influence public opinion in a manner detrimental to public safety”
So, the police could easily sweep in and say, “Not in my house,” and if you’re protesting the police why wouldn’t they?
Protests are not expressly banned, but they must comply with these sweeping emergency rules. In practice, this means police can simply disperse gatherings on a whim.
So, remember, during an SoE, the rulebook gets thrown out the window in favour of police discretion. The system is designed less for robust democracy and more for controlled ventilation of public anger. You can protest — just don’t be too effective, too loud, or too close to the wrong building without filling out the right forms, 14 days in person, and 21 days online because some programmer made a stupid validation mistake.
God bless our nation and Viva La Revolution.
