Hi! My name is N and I am a protester (or activist if you like).
I made this carrd to give you tips on how to protest. All of the things I wrote below are my own opinion and from my own experience.
The protest's Background:
The movement I've been in is here for around 1 and a half year and it's still continuing. This movement doesn't really have a name. It sparked from a extradition law and we fight for more freedom, democracy, and justice from the ongoing police brutality. The democracy movement itself started in 2016 (umbrella movement) or even earlier in 2003 (anti national security reform).
Clothing tips
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Wear similar clothing!
Have a color theme or wear clothings with words related to your movement. This helps for solidarity and it's harder for police or authorities to identify you.
Wear a mask!
With Coronavirus, you have to wear a mask. It protects you from the virus when you are in a protest or event. It also helps to hide your identity better.
Wear comfy shoes!
You might be in the event/march/protest/rally for a long time so comfortable shoes will be recommended. You might need to walk a long distance or stand for a long time so the best to wear is sneakers.
Bring something to change!
If you have something to do or not after the protest, still bring something to change. I recommend that you don't wear the clothing you wear to protests everywhere because it's a lot easier to identify you.
Preperation tips
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Bring a sign!
Make a sign before you go to the event or protest! Signs are what photographers or journalists take picture of, this helps to get more attention locally and internationally.
Bring art works!
Make art works (more in forms of protesting) and give it out to people in the protest or people around the area. You can also stick them on walls so when people go by after the protest they can see it.
Bring a charged phone!
Always bring a charged phone to the event/protest so you can get notifications and news surrounding your movement. You can take photo from your phone (best to blur other's face and don't take pictures of yourself) or you can also play music related to the movement on your phone. (more in tips on devices)
Read informations about this event!
Always read about the event before hand so you will know how to come here, how to leave safely, what to do when there's emergencies and where to hide. (more in protecting yourself)
Educate yourself about the legal side of the movement
Read about the legal things about your protest. Don't accidentally do something illegal or do something that is not related the whole idea of your movement. (Can't give you any examples, just use common sense please)
How to protect yourself
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Tell a friend!
When you are going to a protest/event, always tell a friend/family member/anyone you trust who's not going. Don't tell someone who you're not sure if they have the same opinions as you or someone who you know doesn't have the same opinion as you.
Don't say any personal details in the event!
Never say your name or age or address or phone number. You have to remember that others are still strangers you know nothing about.
Know how to leave!
If something happened during the protest, you have to know how to leave. Look through the map or route so you know wht bus you can take or what streets you can run to when something happened.
Find somewhere you can stay in for a while!
If there's any emergency, you might need to crash at someone's place for a while. Find someone you know who can provide a place when you need to.
Maintain physical distance
Always be aware of your distance with others. You don't want to be too far apart but not too close. Put a backpack in front of you if you don't want to be too close to the one in front.
Have your phone with you at ALL times
Always have your phone, check your pocket once in a while. Never go to an event without your phone. (More about phones in tips on devices)
Tips on devices
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Phone: Tip 1
Keep it locked at all time (during the protest or event). Turn off your bluetooth so no one can find out your name/phone's username.
Phone: Tip 2
Don't turn on any location service, give minimal access to the apps you have from your phone. If you can use a VPN it should be safer.
Computer: Tip 1
Don't let your safari/chrome save history.
For general devices
Use a long password, best mixed with numbers and letters so it will be hard for the police to crack it (if they need to).
If your police aren't exactly on your side
Turn off fingerprint/face recognition (so they can't force you to open your phone).
Social media
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How to protect yourself
If you are doing something not so legal or quite dangerous, don't use your real name. Use a fake name like mine, "N".
Instagram
You can post images of the protest, art works you've done or related art works you found. You can also post dates and locations for rallies so more people can know.
Twitter
You can retweet and like news about the movement. You can also tweet about the newest event in the movement!
Carrd
Make carrds like this so more people can read and know about the movement! (you can find examples here)
My tip
Don't give up or feel bad if there isn't a lot of followers or likes or retweets or interaction... etc.Don't feel bad if you can only support with social media, sometimes it's hard to actually go out.
Telegram
Telegram has been one of the most used communication system here during the protests. You can make channels so people can get information, you can also make encrypted secret group chats where texts will disappear after a period of time. People won't be able to see your phone number so you are completely protected.
Ways of protesting
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The movement I'm in doesn't really have a name, but we go by an idea call "be water". "Be Water" is an idea (or quote) by the famous martial artist, Bruce Lee. The whole concept is we all "become water" and use our own ways together to reach our goal. Some can be going out to protest, some can be supporting with money, etc.
Your movement doesn't have to follow this "Be water" concept, it can be a rally or protest that goes on every week or month. It can be an online protest, having people posting the same message etc. Below will be some of the examples of forms of protesting.
Rally/Protests
Someone organises rally or protests every week or every month. This means the message "resurfaces" between a time period. This helps because news agency will talk about protests/rallies.
Art works
Draw political arts that will bring more attention to the issues. Post them on social media! You can also print them out and put it on Lennon walls. You can also use a more artsy form to put informations out there by having arts with dates, locations, and goals. (or make posters)
Lennon wall
Lennon walls are walls full of art works, posters, notepads, graffitis, and words. It originates from the John Lennon wall which is an "endless tribute to freedom movements". It can change overtime with more things sticked on top or beside them. The Lennon walls here evolved from being one wall into having more than 18 walls across different places (including restaurants!).
Having an "anthem"
Someone can create an anthem for the protest, this can be sang every time you have a rally or protest and it helps with solidarity.
There's a lot more ways and forms to protest so be creative! Mix and match!
If you want to contact me, my twitter account is @pplcallme_n. My dm is closed, so tag me and tweet.