Last reviewed: 22/02/2023
XR Note: At previous protests, we have been aware of the fact that some people have been self-training as Legal Observers (LOs) or in some cases been inadequately trained as LOs. This is really damaging to the previous reputation of LOs acting as independent witnesses in court cases (for example) and so we request any XR activist who are thinking of LOing to have been trained up properly by Green and Black Cross.
We also recognise that this has had a negative impact on the groups that have been doing LO coordination and other activist legal support work for years and in some cases decades. For this, we offer a formal apology on the behalf of activists to groups such as Green and Black Cross, the Activist Court Aid Brigade, the Independent Legal Observers Network and the Independent Legal Observers.
How to get legal observers for your actions?
To request LOs for an upcoming action, please contact the Independent Legal Observers Network, who may be able to source some LOs for your action. We would like to emphasise that it may not always be possible for them to find LOs for your actions, but they will try their best to do so!
What to do if there are no LOs?
If there are no LOs at your protest for any reason (such as no one requested them etc.), then please make sure you read and distribute the following links, containing important information on how to witness certain types of police behaviour effectively: