Organising a protest for the first time can be intimidating, so here are Evolve’s tips on how to hold the best protest you can.
The following law applies to England only.
It’s crucial to know the legalities of protest/march organising to ensure that it all goes ahead smoothly.
You have a legal right to organise a protest under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
For this reason, your local authorities are there to facilitate it. To ensure your protest doesn’t get stopped, be certain to provide a written notice to the police at least a week prior to the event.
This should involve the route you wish to take whilst marching, as they will then consider blocking off those roads on the day. Remember to also include names and addresses of all organisers and speakers, with schedules of when they will speak.
If you’re protesting about something that just happened, you don’t need to give a full week’s notice to the police, but try to tell them ASAP.
Although the police do not have the right to stop your protest, they can impose certain limits if they feel it necessary. For example, if they believe it will cause serious damage or harm to anyone or any property.
Things To Keep In Mind:
The police cannot ask you to cover the cost of policing the protest.
The police cannot ban your protest without approval from the Home Secretary.
Any restrictions the police impose have to be made in writing, and should be from a Commissioner, or Chief Constable.
Now that we’ve outlined the legal aspects, let’s talk about how you can get as many people to your protest as possible.
Marketing it correctly is key.
Social media is the most effective tool to ensure that your protest gains as much reach as possible. We recommend making an Instagram account to promote it, @Chelmsfordforblacklives is a great example of how to market your event.
For two years running, the group managed to organise a 3,000 person protest and march. Their Instagram account was instrumental in making this happen.
Gaining followers can be tricky at first, but consistency is key. The more you post, the more your account will prosper. Create informative posts that explain the route, timings, and any details protestors will need on the day. Tag people, use hashtags, set up a Facebook event, and keep pushing it!
Not everyone has access to social media, however, so print out some posters of the event and stick them up around your area, it’s a sure-fire way to gain attention from the locals.
Writing a press release to send to media organisations is also an effective way to get publicity. This may sound daunting, but all it requires are the details of the day such as the schedule, some quotes from organisers, and why it’s important to attend. Contact local businesses as well, many would love to advertise your event.
Check out what Lush did for a local protest in 2020!
People always want to help out. Put up posts asking attendees to make banners and placards to hand out on the day, you will find lots of people want to do their best to help you organise.
If relevant, chants are a great way of adding colour to your march, but be sure you choose and memorise them beforehand - you don’t want to be googling them on the day!
The Aftermath
The aftermath of a protest can be liberating, but at times, exhausting. And you'll often find protest organisers on the receiving end of online hate.
It’s mostly a Facebook message here, and a Twitter DM there, and with those, the block and report buttons are your best friends.
But, if it’s really beginning to affect you, do report it to the police. It’s not something you should have to deal with alone, nor something anyone deserves.
Although unpleasant, try to take solace in knowing that you have sparked change, because if you hadn’t, people wouldn’t be so rattled. The people writing horrid comments behind a screen are more often than not, unhappy within themselves.
Be proud that you’ve created something powerful enough to be stuck in their heads, rent-free.
Here are some support links for you:
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