Do you want to get involved in protesting and campaigning for what you believe in but are unsure about getting started? That’s totally okay, it can be a bit intimidating at first so I will be explaining some common roles in protests.
!!Not everyone will be able to play the same parts, that does not make yours or anyone else’s actions any less meaningful!!
Heads up - Most of these roles are from my own personal experience, particularly with peaceful protesting in groups such as Extinction Rebellion.
Casuals - A really big role in protests is just showing up in movement comfortable clothes to show your support. If you are interested in attending a protest like this, you can also help carry banners, flags and sing along to chants.
Bunnies/Arrestables - This is a more intimidating position to be in, bunnies are people whose intent is to get arrested to bring more media attention. Often bunnies will be the ones chaining themselves to things, blocking off oil refinery entrances and main roads to cause disruption and bring attention to the cause. When becoming a bunny, talk to your protest group, there will be police liaisons and organisers knowledgeable in the law to be there with you every step of the way and make sure you have a buddy through your arrest to keep you safe.
Organisers - Organisers have a really important job of keeping track of protests and bringing people together for them. Lots of organisers will also lead and direct protests, especially in marches and ensure people and are safe. Many organisers wear high visibility vests to make them stand out, so if you have any concerns or questions, they are a great place for answers.
Chanters - Chants can be amazing during protests, they might not seem super important but chants draw attention, spread awareness of the cause of the protest to passer-by’s as well as encouraging moral and raising people’s spirits. It’s a way to educate and inspire both protestors and bystanders. Megaphones can be helpful for chanters and creating and singing chants is both a fun and great way to protest!
Publicity/Photographers - Protests are meant to spread information and inspire a change, live-streaming, taking photographs, writing articles and sharing and spreading news of local protests and why they’re occurring is how more people discover the cause and join. Publicity for protests is also amazing as it can put more pressure on governments and companies to abide by putting them in the spotlight.
Media groups - If you enjoy dressing up and leaving an impression, media groups can be a great fit for you. Just inside of XR (Extinction Rebellion), there are groups such as the Red Rebels, Whaley’s, Sybil’s and Oilies, they are very noticeable due to often synchronised movements, matching symbolic attire and how many media groups can be seen leading marches and drawing interest. Media groups are made to be noticeable and this can result in more news coverage and curious bystanders. People are always welcome to join as the more numbers, the better.
For information on the different media groups, I will be making a post describing each groups cause and how to identify them.
Crafters - For anyone looking to put their creative skills to use, there are always a multitude of supplies that can benefit protests such as painting banners, making flags, collaborating on big props, even aiding the media group in creating costumes. Protest groups often do get a lot of donated supplies and materials and it can be so helpful and eye catching to include them in protests, making crafters another important protest group.
Police Liaisons - Police liaisons are there to make sure interactions with law enforcement go smoothly, particularly when going through public areas, causing disruption and when bunnies are involved. They do require a fair amount of legal knowledge but by assisting people in ensuring their rights are met and that police are following guidelines, it allows for safer, smoother protests.
Guest speaker - Protests are a show of support for different causes and there aren’t many things more inspiring than someone having the courage to speak for what they know is right and both educate and share their personal experiences. To become a guest speaker, acquire or borrow a microphone/megaphone whether one personally owned or owned by the protest group and speaking and organising things with organisers to ensure your voice can be heard best. Particularly in marches, guest speakers highlight the different stops we make and draw attention from passer-by’s.
Contacters - Not everyone is able to personally attend protests or do some of these roles and that is perfectly understandable. To protest from your own home can still make just as much of an impact. Many protest groups encourage communication to local government members such as MP’s, mainly through letters and emails and the more that are sent and encouraged, the more our message is spread. Protest groups such as Greenpeace also supply pre written emails to send with all the information you need and there are huge amounts of useful petitions to keep on top of and spread around. Using social media to share information can be useful as well, whether that is by gathering information to share or spreading the word of activities, everything helps.
Hopefully you will have found something that works for you and nothing requires you to stick to one forever either. Just remember that protesting is a right that should be utilised, we all deserve the opportunity to fight for justice, whether social or environmental, and to stay safe!
