Toolkit: Protest safety tips from Greenpeace

Immigration Ban Protest in Washington D.C. © Amanda J. Mason / Greenpeace
An activist holds up a “RESIST” sign outside the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C,. A Democratic lawmakers press conference to oppose President Donald Trump’s immigration ban turned into a massive rally on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. Demonstrators in the thousands converged with songs and chants drowning out speakers including the House and Senate Minority Leaders among others. © Amanda J. Mason / Greenpeace

Protest is a powerful strategy to demand justice. Greenpeace has been holding and supporting protests around the world for nearly 50 years. Because of this, we’ve received requests and messages asking for advice on protest tactics, digital, and physical security against militarized police forces. While we have compiled this from a US point of view where this Greenpeace team is based, we hope some of what is here is helpful beyond the US. 

We are continuously learning, learning from mistakes, learning from each other. The activists that make up our Greenpeace community, also come from many protest practices and methods, including Indigenous-led resistance to fossil fuel extraction, the immigrant rights movement, the Movement for Black Lives, and others. We wanted to share some of our learnings so that you can join us in protests that demand systemic changes from fighting for climate justice to dismantling white supremacy. We support you and are fighting with you. 

We want to acknowledge that there are many different types of protest tactics, and that this is not an exhaustive list. We also want to acknowledge that communities of color, especially Black communities and other non-Black Indigenous and communities of color, are policed differently than white communities. 

When we protest we have an opportunity to demand the world we need and to understand how the issues we face are interconnected. As we fight for environmental justice, we show up for racial justice, Indigenous rights, immigrant rights, disability rights and more. While this guide focuses on protests, even if you are not able to join us in the street you can support those who are protesting by providing supplies, donating to bail funds, providing rides, having important conversations with your coworkers, friends, families, and neighbors.

Find more ways to take action to defend Black lives and resist police brutality here.

Also, we want to remind you that we are not your lawyers. This is not legal advice, any tips contained here are only to assist you in thinking through how to engage in protest activity. We urge you to connect with your local organizing and legal community for additional support. 

What to expect at a protest

On the 100th Day of the Trump Administration, we are in the streets of Washington D.C. to show the world and our leaders that we will resist attacks on our people, our communities and our planet.

Evaluate the Event 

If there is no specific group or organization responsible for the protest consider the following:

Make a plan 

Protesting during a global health crisis 

Protesting with Children

Police presence, escalations without cause, and violence at protests 

We get a lot of questions about violence at protests. Our goal with this section is not to scare you away if you are new to protest but to share information that might help you better prepare. Violence at protests can take many forms and you might experience violence through no fault of your own, for instance from police officers who escalate the situation or from counter-protestors who disagree with you. When police, other security forces, and/or armed counter protestors are present, there is an elevated risk of violence. It’s also important to note that different protests see different police responses because of the way racism and white supremacy shows up in our society. For example, protests led by the Movement for Black Lives against police violence and Indigenous-led movements by water protectors are most often met with excessive force. 

In some cases, again based on who is protesting, you should be prepared for the police to use tear gas or other chemical weapons to control crowds. You can learn more about tear gas and other riot control agents here

You will not always be able to de-escalate a situation but here are a few methods for de-escalation 

How to prepare for and react to tear gas, harmful chemicals, and other “crowd control” tactics

Technology safety measures

What to bring

What to Bring and What to Avoid

You should bring necessary items that will allow you to stay safe, but travel as lightly as possible. Protests typically involve a lot of walking, moving and/or physical activity.

Bring: 

An important note about medications: In case you may be arrested and held for a long period of time, you should bring any necessary prescription medicine in its original prescription bottle inside a ziplock bag along with a note from your doctor. You should bring enough for at least two days. If you have necessary medication is it important to understand that you may not be able to access it while you are incarcerated. Activists should take every step to make it clear to jail personnel that they have a serious medical condition (though we caution that revealing certain conditions, such as being HIV+ can impact you negatively as well) and are prescribed necessary medication. Contact jail support and let them know you need medical support in the form of prescription medication and they may be able to advocate for you.

Do not bring:

Know your rights

Black Lives Matter Protest in Washington DC. © Tim Aubry / Greenpeace
Greenpeace US activists walk a large Black Lives Matter banner down 16th NW toward the White House. Activists on the streets adopted the banner chanting “Make Way For The Flag” as they moved it through the massive crowds to the fence in front of Lafayette Square near the White House. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. During an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white American police officer, kept his knee on the side of Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down. During the last three minutes, Floyd was motionless. After Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests against racism and police brutality were held across the US and the world, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the movement and gathering restrictions put in place by governments to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
© Tim Aubry / Greenpeace

Greenpeace US activists walk a large Black Lives Matter banner down 16th NW toward the White House. June 2020

No matter who you are or where you are, as long as you are a human being located inside of the United States, the U.S. Constitution provides you with certain rights you can invoke when you encounter law enforcement. While the police will not always protect or respect your rights, you should still invoke them by saying the below words in the following situations.

If you are attending a protest, many cities have legal support groups such as the National Lawyers Guild which organizes to provide jail support and legal observers. Jail support means that a set of people who are not arrested or detained with you provide a number so that you can call them for additional support. If there is a local jail support hotline, write the local phone number on your body so that you will have it even if all of your things are taken by police. Most people write the jail support number on their arms in permanent ink. You can and should call that number if you end up getting arrested. If you are arrested, the information that jail support will need to track you through the system is your name and date of birth. If you see someone get arrested, ask them to shout that information out to you and write it down, you can then tell a legal observer or call jail support over the phone and let them know.

The National Lawyers Guild has jail support hotline numbers hereand you can donate to local bail funds here

Additional resources you may find helpful:

Resources for allies

How to contribute to safety and the movement:

If you have more resources/class privilege, consider bringing supplies, like water, snacks, face masks, first aid materials, etc to the protest with you to share with others or donate supplies or money to local groups that are offering supplies to protesters. You can also consider donating to bail funds to get those who are detained or arrested released from jail as soon as possible. 

If you have white privilege, understand how to leverage that privilege to help protect or create space for those voices most often silenced by the systems we are protesting. Read more on how to be a good white ally here.

Activists can contribute to protests by intentionally doing the following: 

If you are not able to participate directly in higher-risk events, consider volunteering for jail support or emergency rides for those who are. Offer this directly to friends or reach out to your local bail fund organizers or local chapter of groups offering legal support to protestors such as the National Lawyers Guild.

Continue researching the issues you protested. Seek out educational resources and share them widely. Don’t expect others to do the work of educating you for you, and especially do not expect people with less privilege than you to do the work of educating you on systemic oppression. 

Commit to the work beyond this moment. Turning up for a protest is an important step and can deepen what you will do months or years from now to continue dismantling systems of oppression.

As Greenpeace activists, protesting is one of the important ways that we can promote change. Thank you for participating in the movement for a more just and peaceful future.