Protest Teams
Here is a guide to gaining an edge during protests by making organized teams. Teams will definitely make the whole things safer and easier to work with. This guide was originally provided by Anonymous in care packages during the Arab Spring as the Anonymous Riot Guide.
BE PEACEFUL! DO NOT ENGAGE IN VIOLENCE IF POSSIBLE! WHEN POSSIBLE, DO NOT ANSWER VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE! TEAMS SHOULD, ACT LIKE PROS!
Every team needs a person in charge (if possible get Walkie Talkies, referred as WT).
(If Possible Organize Different Leaders)
All people that are subject to teams should be wearing cloth with colors, which corresponds with the team.
Gives information from HQ to other teams and back!
- (Need perfect knowing of the neighborhood, with mobile capabilities => bike or so.
- If no bike is available, the fastest runner will have to do.) May also serve as a support team if any other team is in need of backup.
(Used for secret message that can not be send by WT)
Is in charge of helping people that needs help
Be sure to act nice! THIS TEAM NEEDS RESPECT! In case of an emergency, you want as many people to help you as possible! It is very important that someone can take a leader position! People in this team should carry scissors, Band-Aids, gauze, antiseptic, painkillers, Physiological Serum, a lot of water, protein bars and a lot of other stuff. Please check the First Aid Guide.
Red teams need to very well marked so it is obvious to the people with the guns what they're doing. Examples: Big patch with red cross/red crescent, reflectors and red clothing.
Very important ‐ People taking pictures, filming and documenting
- Using cell phones to create WiFi networks! Upload material as it happens!
- Don't necessarily need to be in the riots. Can stay back to organize data from wireless communications, and other places where data about what is going on can be accessed. The more that gets out of the riots, the better, as this will draw media attention.
- Protect yourself to upload data: http://pastebin.com/ksw2Xzxd | We do NOT propagate violence.
- Use Anonymous contacts to support on editing and spreading the information; Anonops.ru will help you ‐ leave the editing to people outside the riots, just keep recording, we'll do the rest.
- Real footage and reports are important; cause the media might be not on side or report in a correct and expected behavior. In some cases your government may have blacked out all media from reporting. When this happens, ordinary citizens become reporters, so capturing video/images is very important to get your struggle into the world and gain international support.
- Blur faces of people on pictures! Prevents oppression.
- Green Team should be updating Google Maps if possible, letting rioters know in real time where police are moving. +1(useless in presence of high‐tech cops, with operator cars and videos monitoring (like EU and US zone).
These people usually confronts authorities (Be non violent if possible)
- The front row demonstrators are what the news and other media will focus on, they should be well prepared to relay their message effectively. (Signs, Banners, Megaphones, T‐shirts, Effigy's, etc)
- Protect yourself: wear cushions, helmets, ski goggles or even a gasmasks.
Equipped with Walkie‐Talkies, Smartphones, etc. Posting on Rooftop or someplace high, giving an overview on the streets.
- Being stationed up high allows you to see where there is police presence, how many the demonstrators can expect, which direction they're going, etc.
- As much as you may want to show active support with t‐shirts, banners (or possibly throwing some rocks from the rooftop you are looking from), you should refrain from doing so. You do not want any attention that can be avoided. Doing so should allow you to move throughout the city as needed, generally unmolested by the authorities.
- Could be using cell phones to create WiFi networks too! Helping to upload material of what happens (as they observe, they're also in open space, what helps for wireless networks!
Try to set HQs with link to the outside and relay for Crowd teams, (WTStation)
- Could coordinate movement through maps, following teams and preventing them from falling in traps
- A fast Internet connection is great here, as this team should both provide info to The Running team and fellow Anon's/NewsGroups far and wide.
- Get yourself (and the group(s) you're working with) cheap mobiles with spare sims (I've known cops nick the sim cards out of phones while searching before) so you can stay in constant touch if you get split up. You can also 'tweet' 'fb' etc info as and when it happens.
- Make up group names! Just something short you all remember. This gets useful in unmanageable situations. If you lose the others of your group, you don't need to call their names (which could be written down by police).
- Groups should not be bigger than 6 people. Small groups mean more mobility. Big groups are slow, especially in deciding what to do. Talk about what you want to do before you go to a demonstration. Respect it if someone doesn't want to take risks. Think about getting together with people who want to do the same thing to avoid too much discussion.
- Get to know the area before just turning up! It's no good turning up then the cops steam in and you've got nowhere to retreat to. Better to know where you are and where you’re going so you retreat around a corner and turn up again behind them from another.
- Spread maps of the area with important targets. See the 5‐finger‐tactic and out‐of‐control tactic http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fünf‐Finger‐Taktik (German)
The five‐finger tactic is used for getting around police lines or blockades.
Protesters allocate on different groups. Every group has one person holding a sing with a number or color. If you don't want to take a risk, you can disclaim that person and just wear the color (e.g. wristband, scarf, hat). You start the demonstration together, but if you see the police the different groups split and stretch. Then you flow through the police line and bale after it.
The concept of "Out of Control" is based on a decentralized organization structure and uncontrolled movements of the crowd as well to circle around police lines and the suddenly appearance a crowd, similar to a flashmob. The protest participants try to spread often and reunite at a different place and try to hide the borders between protests an environment with this behavior.
A close protest can be controlled and steered quite easy by the police. This concept tries to make the analysis of a protest and its flow difficult for the police.
(Authorities will be incited to stronger action so this tactic should not be used in the presence of at risk protest group members.)
The Black Bloc does not need to be affiliated with any group or ideology, it is simply a tactic, and it WORKS. This is both a defense and offensive tactic.
- Makes it harder to identify individuals
- Creates an effect to make mob see larger that it really is
- Protects identity ('Guy Fawkes mask popularized by "V for Vendetta")
- Protects identity (If the regime stays in power and your face is found to be protesting, you can expect jail, beating or even possibly death, keep your identity hidden when in public!)
- Protects against tear gas inhalation/irritation (add water or vinegar to help with skin irritations caused by tear gas exposure; inject some physiological serum in the eyes to wash them)
- Whether advancing or retreating pull debris (trash cans, dumpsters, burning tires/cars, etc.) behind your path. This will slow down APCs, Police, allowing you to maintain mobility.
- DONT GET BOXED IN ‐ if you hear some one saying your going to get boxed in (trapped) repeat the message down the line to other protestors.
- If the police use violence or tries to arrest people, build chains by linking arms! This prevents arresting and shows power. Turn your backs on police spraying gas and build chains to prevent them doing things you can't see. Listen to where the observation/basement teams tell you to go and go to exactly where they tell you. And when they tell you to get out, leave the area. They both work to prevent you from entering situations/area's that could land you trapped and subsequently in jail or worse!
- Go out with a few friends and watch each others backs at all times. Try not to get separated. Use caution when dealing with and speaking to people whom you do not know. Others claiming to support your cause may be infiltrators.
- Make sure no one else other than the communications operator of the team is communicating through the radio channel you are utilizing. This could cause a breach of security if undesirables (Police/Other Authorities) are spying on your conversation.