Pluralism – or the ‘doctrine of multiplicity’ – tends to go hand-in-hand with liberal democracy. Based on the concept of ‘freedom of assembly and association’, individuals are generally free to protest peacefully or be part of non-violent groups and to organise around common interests and promote their views publicly. This has not always been the case.

Activism once lay at the heart of the original Mardi Gras protest in 1978, calling for an end to laws that made consenting sex between adult men illegal in Australia.