Nowadays, protesting is a common strategy that activists pride themselves on undertaking for the good of the masses and of the planet. In the recent decade, there have been far too many protests organized by activists in order to demand justice for the rights of the planet. In the recent decade, there have been far too many protests organized by activists in order to demand justice for the rights of the planet. You may have seen many climate change news in recent years. In fact, you may be aligned to the values of one climate change organization, as well. Come what may, one needs to note protest safety tips while heading out for a climate change protest.
What is a protest?
A protest is an effective and powerful strategy used to demand justice, using nonviolence values, understanding the opposition and the threats while focusing on demanding justice for an issue such as climate change or Amy rights for an individual or a group of people.
Many youth climate activism agents have been holding protests around the world, demanding climate change justice.
While going on protest, it is really important to focus on being safe. While protesting and demanding the world to see the need and understand issues that we may face as a generation, it is important to learn from previous mistakes committed during the previous protest and also learn from each other to better ourselves and prepare for upcoming protests. Here are some of the protest safety tips that all protesters need to follow in order to have a successful protest and demand for their rights without causing many issues along the line.
Although the list of protest tactics is a non-exhaustive one, this list should suffice in the coming protests.
- Evaluate the event prior to attending it – thoroughly researched the organization or group that is hosting the protest event. Make sure to keep in touch with them through social media or by opting for a text message of updates regarding the protest. Expect that unexpected things can change at the event quite quickly and drastically, so bring your own supplies.
- Prepare yourself for large crowds – if you prepare yourself for an onslaught of large crowds, know that it may affect transportation and your access to the location during the period of the event or before and after it. Inform your loved ones where you are going and how you plan to get back home. This way, they know where to look for you in case of an accident or delays.
- Pay attention to the event’s tone and approach- while researching your event organizers, see what they represent and how their values and goals align with your own. If the values do not align, avoid going to the event.
- Everyone normally has a protest partner. Stay accountable to your protest partner and establish a plan in case of separation from them during an event. Work out an exit plan on how to get home safely after the protests.
- Note where you park your car – If you are driving to the event, note where you park your car and how far from the event is your parking spot. This way, you can easily access your car after the event.
- Become aware of your surroundings- a protest can get crazy in a matter of minutes. Will make your way to the event, not in at least 2 to 4 different ways of getting out of the crowd and to safety.
- Keep track of what you’re putting into your system and how far you may need to walk to access the bathroom.
- Check with the organizers of the event if the protesters save for children to attend. If not, avoid bringing your children to the protest altogether.
Protest safety tips for protesting during a global health crisis:
- Etiquette suggests that you may not and attend a protest if you are feeling sick or have any symptoms of the above mentioned global health crisis. Make sure to stay at home if you see any symptoms or generally feel sick.
- Wear an N95 mask at all times. If you do not have one, make sure to purchase it at the latest.
- Take along your hand sanitizers and or wipes.
- Maintain physical distance from each other of at least 6 feet as per the CDC guidelines.
The next time you go to any climate change protest, make sure to follow these protest tips. Make sure to thoroughly research the values associated with each climate change organization you follow before committing to attend a protest organized by them.