Protest policing or public order policing is part of a state’s response to political dissent and social movements. Police maintenance of public order during protest is an essential component of liberal democracy, with military response to protest being more common under authoritarian regimes.

Australasian, European, and North American democratic states have all experienced increased surveillance of protest movements and more militarized protest policing since 1995 and through the first decades of the 21st century.

Criminalization of dissent is legislation or law enforcement that penalizes political dissent. It may also be accomplished through media that controls public discourse to delegitimize critics of the state. Study of protest criminalization places protest policing in a broader framework of criminology and sociology of law.

Under authoritarian regimes, protest policing tends to be violent and has resulted in massacres. Police in more democratic societies must undertake a delicate balance between public order and protection of citizens’ rights to public participation, right to protest, and freedom of assembly, which are central democratic values.

There are varying styles of protest policing, expressed by varying degree of tolerance toward protestors.

Institutional variables that affect policing style include:

Protest policing style is also shaped by social movements, public opinion, and police knowledge of protestors.

Academic study of protest policing has identified several protest policing strategies.