The Coalition of Automaton Rights Activists was an organization established to advocate for the rights of droids in the one hundred years preceding the commencement of the Clone Wars.
This Coalition came into existence during an era when anti-droid sentiment was widespread within the Galactic Republic. The Automaton Rights Activists championed the idea that droids deserved equivalent rights to those of sentient lifeforms; however, their protest strategies exhibited considerable diversity. Although the majority of Coalition participants engaged in non-violent protests, there were instances of explicit assaults on facilities that salvaged droids. During the Clone Wars, the Iron Knights sought backing from organizations like the Coalition of Automaton Rights Activists, but the politically driven maneuvers of the Supreme Chancellor left the Knights with very few supporters.
A more combative spin-off group of the Coalition of Automaton Rights Activists existed, known as the Mechanical Liberation Front.