Guide: How to organise a protest

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THIS PAGE WAS CREATED BY THE BBC


Last updated:Monday 24 May 2004


1. Benefits and risks of a protest
2. Types of protest
3. Deciding where and when to hold your protest
4. Organising a protest
5. Publicity and gathering support
6. Dealing with opposition on the day
7. Be aware of the law
8. Feedback and comments


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1. Benefits and risks of a protest

Once you have set up your campaign, done your research and contacted decision-makers, councillors and political representatives, you may want to consider organising a protest.

A protest can strengthen your campaign, attract press coverage and raise funds. The event needn’t be confrontational, and can help open dialogue between your campaign and anyone opposing it. But you should think carefully too. It may not be the right way to make your point or to achieve what you want, and you may put people off.

Common Purpose, an organisation promoting socially responsible leadership, has a list of pros and cons of protests.

Benefits
Public speakers and meetings can provide a high level of debate

A good speaker at an event can engage drifting support

Protests are a good opportunity to hand out leaflets and engage new support

Protest events can bring media coverage of your campaign

A sizeable march demonstrates strength of feeling

Large numbers are not needed to make stunts and vigils effective

A vigil can be held anywhere, including outside the door of your target

Risks
You might attract unwanted troublemakers seeking a forum

If the weather is bad, people may not turn up

If you are picketing an organisation’s headquarters there may be strong opposition

If you have poor turnout, you may demonstrate that you only have limited support for your aims

You may need police permission and they might not oblige

If you organise a noisy demonstration, you may alienate more ‘moderate’ supporters
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2. Types of protest

There are different ways to protest about something you want to change. First, ask yourself, what do you hope to achieve by holding a protest? Is your main aim to show the strength of your support, to raise awareness, or to influence decision-makers? Or do you want to block something your campaign opposes, such as a new road or building?

A public meeting or demonstration
A public meeting is an open forum to debate views on something and to work out campaign aims or solutions to a problem. A demonstration is an outdoor gathering used to demonstrate the volume of support for a campaign whose aims are already decided.

Public meetings and demonstrations are good ways to protest if:

You have time to advertise in advance

You can find an easily-accessible venue

Public meetings can:

Raise awareness

Raise funds through collections

Show the level of support locally

Provide an opportunity to take advice or criticism from people not closely involved in the campaign

Provide a chance to discuss your campaign with any opposition

A vigil
A vigil is when people stay awake during the normal hours of sleep for some special reason or cause. A vigil works best when:


There is an organised core of people

It is held in a well-chosen and high-profile public venue

It lasts for several hours

It is quiet or silent

It is carefully organised in advance so that there is no confusion or debate during the vigil itself

For example, campaigners fighting to save St Peter’s Church in Bickenhall near Birmingham from closure held a candlelit vigil outside the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2001.

A stunt
Stunts are striking one-off events or gimmicks designed to attract maximum attention, especially from the press. Stunts can take more planning than other forms of protest. Stunts can be ambitious or simple, expensive or cheap. You need a good, eye-catching idea and slick planning, or you risk embarrassing your campaign.

For example, on Valentine’s Day in 2003, dozens of campaigners from the lobby group Fathers for Justice dressed up as Elvis Presley in white flares and wigs. They then set out across London to deliver a 20 ft high bright red inflatable heart to the Family Division at the Royal Courts of Justice. They used the slogan ‘End fathers’ heartbreak - Close Heartbreak Hotel!’

A sit-in
A sit-in is when a group goes into a building or space and sits down for a period of time in protest. Often people sit in until a problem is resolved, for example, until a meeting is promised between the campaign and those it is targeting. It is important that the venue for the sit-in is appropriately linked to the campaign.

For example, in 2002 Easyjet passengers staged a spontaneous sit-in on an aeroplane in Nice. They were protesting against switching aeroplanes to make way for another set of passengers.

A march
Marching through a town or city can bring your protest to a wider audience than holding a meeting or demonstration in one place. Marches work well if they have a focus at the end, or if marching has a specific purpose.

For example, in Stroud, 500 campaigners for safe food made a procession from supermarket to supermarket. At each one they delivered a document against GM food they had drafted themselves, and which they had arranged to be published in the local press. The protest finished in the town square where the document was then read out in full. The local MP made a speech and the town mayor made closing remarks.

Street theatre
A simple, funny sketch acted out on a street corner can get your campaign noticed in a light-hearted way. You don’t need many props, just a bit of confidence and some ideas you have tried out in advance.

For example, one Cars Cost the Earth campaign used street theatre to illustrate their arguments about the negative impacts of cars. They created caricatures of different types of drivers and acted-out their impact on the environment and pedestrians.

Friends of the Earth has a comprehensive guide on How to put act back into action.

A picket
Picketing is commonly associated with labour disputes. It is the posting of people to intercept non-strikers or non-activists on their way to work and urge them to join the cause and not go to work.

For more information on picketing, see the iCan guide on your Right to strike.


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3. Deciding where and when to hold your protest

After deciding what kind of event you are going to stage you need to ask two crucial questions: when and where?

When?
Allow plenty of time to promote your event. If it is a march or a vigil, it could be advertised as much as six months in advance, giving you time to mobilise large numbers to join in.

It is important that the event is well-timed. If you are campaigning against the activities of an organisation you might choose to picket its main office on the day of its AGM. Anniversaries of events or commemorative days may be useful as public awareness is already heightened, and you may be more likely to get press coverage. It is better to organise public protests on shopping days or holidays than on workdays, when passers-by will have less time to pay attention.

Try not to have your event clash with other events in the area. Contact the local council, police station and even the local newspaper to find out if other events have been planned for that day. Once you have decided a suitable date, publicise it widely so other events organisers are aware of it.

Where?
Your event needs to be held in a significant public location where it has maximum visibility for general members of the public. Pick a location that is easily accessible.

If organising a march, carefully study a street map of the town and pick a high-profile route. Avoid back streets and make sure you are aware of any road closures. Contact your local council for this. Make sure the route doesn’t present problems to young children or disabled people. Find somewhere suitable to finish, an open space where people can come and listen to speeches. If you intend to set up stalls, you need a licence from the Licensing Department of your council.


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4. Organising a protest

Who will organise the event?
You will need to appoint one person to oversee the organisation of the event. You should delegate responsibility to others for any considerations that arise with specific events such as:


Advertising and publicity

Writing, printing and handing out of leaflets

Organisation on the day

Crowd control and stewards in the case of marches or demonstrations

Collecting donations or noting contact details of new supporters

Hiring equipment or arranging caterers

Equipment and food
Some events will require supplies. Hire or borrow public address equipment for your speakers and take cameras to record the occasion for yourself. A digital camera is best because images can be easily sent the same day to the local newspaper, and to email lists associated with the campaign. Depending on the nature of the event you may want to have costumes and colourful floats that would attract attention.

Financial planning
A large event will need some financial planning. Make sure somebody reliable in the group is in charge of budgeting for placards, leaflets and press releases, hiring of equipment such as public address systems and all other costs.

Police permission
You may be legally obliged to arrange for a representative to tell the police in advance of your protest if it is a march. See below.

If you want to hand a petition in to Downing Street, you will need to contact Charing Cross police station Special Events.


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5. Publicity and gathering support

Promote, advertise, and court publicity! A high level of public awareness and lots of publicity is the key to the success of your march.

Let the media know
Let the local newspapers, radio and television know about your plans and create an effective press release giving all the details of the march. Email them any digital photos you have in advance of the protest, and immediately following. Make it media friendly by having plenty of colourful displays and costumes to photograph, if that is appropriate. See the iCan guide on How to use the media.

Public advertising
Advertise through leaflets, local community forums and groups, newsletters, posters and notices. Include a contact name and number in case people would like more information.

Slogans and chanting
Distil your case and point to a few pithy slogans and phrases. To draw people’s attention you may want to chant these slogans. Don’t be offensive with your words and make your point succinctly.

Make placards and banners
Placards and banners are a striking way of immediately communicating your message to passers-by. If you have a logo or motto, it is important to make this clearly visible. Lower case letters are easier to read, especially from a distance, so avoid whole sentences in full capitals.


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6. Dealing with opposition on the day

Demonstrations and vigils meet all kinds of responses from thumbs up, car honks and applause to heckling and shouts. On occasion you might meet with abusive people who may put their points across aggressively.

Always be measured and reasonable in your response. If you feel somebody is being threatening do not hesitate to contact the police. Do not get embroiled in an abusive argument or, disastrously, a fight. This could end up backfiring and only getting you negative publicity.


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7. Be aware of the law

Be fully aware of your rights and responsibilities when organising a public event. You have a democratic right to protest, but your protest may well be subject to conditions set out in a number of laws and measures. Protests can also be affected by police powers and standards of public order. There's more on your rights in our related iCan guide, Right to protest.

Marches
Marches are the one form of protest that you will need to give the police six days’ advance notice of. Specifically, notice should be given if the procession is intended to:


Demonstrate support for or opposition to the views or actions of any group

Publicise a cause or campaign

Mark or commemorate an event

Do check exactly what you have to tell them but generally written notices should stipulate:


The date of the march

The time it will start and place of congregation

The route

The name and address of the organiser

Choose a representative who will deal most constructively with the police. The police will ask for the above information and may well request more but you are only obliged to provide the basic details.

The police have the power to impose conditions on the march. You are entitled to challenge these if you wish, but if the conditions amount to only minor alterations to the route you should consider carefully whether this is necessary.

If a protest march occurs regularly at the same time along the same route, then no notice is required.

Notice also need not be given if it is not reasonably practical to do so in advance, to make allowance for spontaneous marches. In these circumstances, a last-minute telephone call to the police is advisable to show you are following the spirit of the law. A record should be kept of the call.

Do you need police permission?
According to the Public Order Act 1986 police have no power to ban a ‘public assembly’, a meeting where 20 or more people gather in a public location at least partly outside. Vigils, demonstrations and public meetings may all classify as ‘public assemblies’. You don’t have to give advance notice of holding a public assembly, although you may wish to inform your local council. They may request that you obtain public liability insurance, but many protests take place without this provision.

Stay alert for trouble
There are some individuals and organisations who may join popular protest marches regardless of their beliefs and cause trouble. Stay alert and be sure to inform the police if you are unhappy with the behaviour of individuals who have joined the march. Remember an unruly demonstration that causes damage to property can backfire.

Arrests on demonstrations
Most marches and demonstrations are entirely peaceful and pass without incident. Sometimes, however there are disturbances. The most common alleged offences leading to arrest on demonstration are ‘threatening behaviour’ and ‘breach of the peace’. What these mean exactly is open to interpretation but often if police perceive behaviour as threatening they will issue a verbal warning first.

On Liberty’s website you can read more about public order offences.

You can also read the Crime and Disorder Act.

You can also read the home office guide on policing disorder .

See also iCan’s guide to Political rights.


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8. Feedback and comments

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Most recent comments:

A very useful guide which I will most definitely use in the future. I would also like to add that the police can arrest you on the basis of 'blocking the path of an acting officer' - therefore, if you are stood in their way, intentially or unintentially, in theory you could be charged. Please be aware of this in crowded protests!
Comment contributed by: Charlene Coulbeck, East Riding of Yorkshire, on 18 March 2004 at 17:58