How to Prepare for a Protest: Key Protest Tips
How to Prepare for a Protest: Key Protest Tips |
2020 has proven itself to be a year of uprisings and revolts against social structures and systemic injustice. From more global protests like the George Floyd protests in the United States of America to more country-wide protests like the #EndSars protests in Nigeria, people are hitting the streets to express their displeasure at systemic injustice and police brutality.
While we want to fight for our basic human rights, we also want to stay alive to witness the change we provoked. On this note, before you hit the streets for a protest, adequate preparation is vital.
In this article, we’ll show you how to prepare for a protest. Though some of these tips might be obvious, we still have an obligation to share.
There are three stages of a protest you need to prepare adequately for – before the protest, during the protest, and after the protest.
Before the Protest
1. Do Not Go Alone
Form pairs or a group of people who know each other and have the same objectives. If possible, come in a larger group and set a post-demonstration date to see if everyone is well and even testify.
2. Do Not Bring Books
Avoid bringing diaries, address books, leaflets, and personal papers.
3. Check Your Pockets
Check your pockets to make sure you don’t have anything compromising like weapons – Swiss army knife, weed, drugs, etc.
4. Carry Water and Snacks
It is important to have water and it can be helpful to have something to snack on. Protests take a lot of time and energy. Alcohol is not a very good idea, it promotes dehydration and the risk of bleeding in case of injury.
5. Take Some Cash and Your Cellphones
Taking cash can always be useful. Cellphones are practical (keep geolocation in mind), but be careful to turn them off in case of arrest.
6. Dress Comfortably
Wear suitable shoes and avoid wearing excessively loose clothing. If you have long hair, you can tie it up, and if possible, it is better to leave the earrings and piercing at home.
7. Think Carefully on What You Write on Your Protest Materials
Think carefully about what you write on your billboards, placards, walls, etc. The messages to be passed are many, and there are the right words to affirm them. Choose carefully what to write and which symbols to draw, to avoid shifting the focus of the protesters or even provoking them. Let your words be those of support and solidarity, amplifying the voices of your fellow protesters. Don’t play with it.
8. Carry Your Mask and Gloves
Always wear a mask and gloves. Being in large numbers during a pandemic can make social distancing difficult to maintain, so it is important to always wear a mask to avoid the dispersion of drops of saliva. But it is a method that only works if everyone is committed to respecting it. While the spread of the virus through objects is quite low, direct contact between people remains the most frequent way in which the virus can be contracted. Also wear gloves, to protect yourself in case you come into contact with an asymptomatic person.
9. Put Your Legal Aid on Speed Dial
The police CAN detain you, for a few minutes, for “investigation.” That is, to verify that you are not carrying bombs, weapons, drugs, etc. What the police cannot and should not do is arrest you for inquiries, throw you in a van, and take you to the police station. But worse things have happened on the protest ground, so always stay ready to ask for legal aid.
10. Carry a First Aid Kit
It is important to always have with you something to treat small injuries, whether they result from police repression or simple accidents. Some things that can be in your first aid kit include; a serum (perfect for removing foreign bodies) or an eye product, drugs for asthmatics (like Ventolin or even a few inhalers), sterile gloves, bandages, compresses, sterile bands, cotton (for cleaning wounds and nosebleeds), antiseptics, classic drugs against headaches, digestive problems, and so on.
If you have an eye defect, it is better to wear your glasses than your contact lenses. If you have two pairs, carry both of them and keep one safe. If you are on your period, you could also opt to use thick towels instead of tampons in case you get arrested and are unable to change them.
Try to have in each group someone with basic first aid skills, and a complete first aid kit.
During the Protest
1. Stay Vigilant
In any protest, there is always the underlying potential for violence. Either from the law enforcement agents or even some rogue protesters. In that case, remain mobile and attentive to the environment. Don’t get carried away. Scan your environment and always be on the lookout for possible exit points in case of a stampede.
2. Be Ready to Film and Monitor Abuses
Asides from being on the ground, pictures and videos of the protest have a way of keeping other people abreast of the event. It encourages and motivates them to participate. So, always have your phone or camera on standby and be ready to film the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the protest. Also, take a power bank along or an extra battery.
3. Stay Calm
The first weapon of the police is fear. Sirens, tear gas, grenades and oral intimidation are mostly deterrent techniques. Faced with this, try to remain as calm as possible, even in crowd movements. Avoid screaming or running unnecessarily (this increases collective stress). Don’t panic. Although fear is natural, we can learn to channel it (singing together, shouting slogans, getting together, etc.).
4. Stay/Walk/March/Run in Groups
It is better to move in groups than stay isolated. There have been cases of isolated protesters being attacked, molested, and even arrested. Staying grouped could even help avoid arrests. Since most officers are usually mobile in cases like this, staying grouped in front of them, forming chains if necessary, is a good way to avoid arrests.
5. Watch Your Fellow Protesters
Always remain attentive to other protesters because mutual aid is essential. If you see an arrest, you can oppose it by grabbing the person and calling out to people around. If you can’t do it alone, take out your phone and make a video. Tag people who could help on social media. This helps speed up legal aid (preparing a case, discussing the defense, etc.) and the incarcerated friend will feel less alone. If you are arrested, report yourself to witnesses, and avoid insults and beatings: “Contempt and Rebellion” is the police’s favorite judicial weapon to load a case.
6. In the Case of Police Retaliation
Tear gas is often very localized, so you just need to move a few meters to avoid them. Do not re-throw a grenade that has not yet detonated, as it may be an Explosive Grenade or a De- Ring Grenade. In case of gassing, breathe through your mouth through a cloth soaked in water or better still use a face mask. Tear gas will stick to skin and tissue, so avoid touching your eyes and lips with contaminated hands or clothing. Rinse the skin with water. For the eyes, the best homemade solution is water and baking soda solution (you could do a premix and add it to your first aid kit). Better still, you can go with your sunglasses to protect your eyes!
7. In Case You Are Arrested
You have the right to remain silent in the face of any question, any authority. You also have the right, at the police station, to have the help of a lawyer. If you are arrested, taken to the police station, and want to take your testimony, DEMAND a lawyer present. If you are not allowed the presence of one, give as a statement the following: “I will remain in silence, because I have been denied the right to have a lawyer accompanying this act.” This has to be documented on paper. If the delegate or civil police officer refuses to put this down, do not sign anything. There are two things you need to remember when you get detained by a police officer – Stay Calm and Sign NOTHING until your Lawyer approves it.
If your personal belongings have not been seized, take discreet photos and videos of the incident and share it with someone immediately before they notice. With that data, it is possible to hold the State and the police responsible for the illegal arrest and detainment.
After the Protest
1. Change Your Clothes If Necessary and Avoid Going Home Alone
If you came with spare clothes, it might be a good idea to change them especially if they are soiled with mud, sweat, or even blood. When it’s time to go home, ensure you do not walk home alone. It is very dangerous.
2. Make Sure That the Members of Your Group are Safe and Return Together
Just in case your group dispersed at some point during the protest, you must locate everyone. This is why it is advised that your group has a meeting point that has been agreed upon previously. In that case, it would be easier to find everyone and return home safely.
3. Take a Shower to Decontaminate Yourself from the Gas
Although some like to claim that these gases are harmless, they are not. Immediately you get home, take a long shower, and decontaminate yourself from the gas before they start having adverse effects on your system.
4. Find a Moment to Discuss and Share Your Story
Stories are powerful. They have the power to stir or even end a revolution. Knowing this, we must not hesitate to share our stories. Whether it be on our social media platforms, with our family, friends, or colleagues, do share your story.
5. Restrategize and Organize the Next One
Systemic injustice is usually not resolved with one protest. The George Floyd Protests alone has been ongoing for almost five months (in regards to the time this article was published) in the United States of America. It is important to go back to the rule book, restrategize, and then work at organizing the next protest. Well, until the wishes of the people are granted.
Do not stop fighting for what is yours by right. Victory is near.
But until then, Aluta continua; A vitória é certa!
What's Your Reaction?
