What did we learn? I think it might be important to start taking notes even now as to worked and what didn't work. This is Anonymous baptism by fire, as most of us (I think) have never done this before, and certainly not in the mannar that it has been organized now. But from this, we can only get stronger and our next step will be even more Epic. All you guys and gals who were out there could see for yourself how it went, so lets hear it! .. The one that sticks out immediatly to me is the one from Vienna; Check your protest permits and keep one with you when you go, in case the police loses it (intentionally or otherwise) and Plan to be out longer so that your permit doesn't run out earlier than you intend to be there. Know your rights. Have it in writing. - sunday morning is dead, but tends to liven up around lunch. - someone should prepare a short speech. Speeches is a grand idea! It helps morale, attracts the attention of people passing and unnerves the enemy. If you have ex-scienos on site or happen to be lucky enough to have WMB or Tory with you, see if they want to speak. - bullhorn would have been good (But check the legality. And just because you have a megaphone doesn't mean you have to use it) Scientology counter-protests: learned from berlin and possibly other locations: - be prepared for scifag counter-demonstrations and -activities. Do your homework, make sure you get things right. Probably helps to have a fact-sheet with important dates on you, I guess. and: Stay to to the truth. Even a half-truth is bad, as it gives the scienones something to use against us; they have commited enough crimes already, we don't need to make any up. The white/V-masks and the suits where great. Keep them as a visual elements of the piquets, so everyone in future will recognize the piquet was organized by anonymous. Some were intimidating by them, but mostly it seem like they attracted interest and curiosity. Plan more beforehand: chants, songs, more music, better sign ideas, and a plan for protesting in shifts/getting warm and coming back would've all been great additions. Have a plan / extra signs ready in case your protest is dampened by idiots who are in it for the lulz. Consider organising a medic; that is, get someone to wear a red cross type armband and/or hat and to carry a range of goods that might come in handy. For the northern hemisphere - chemical warming pads, thermal blanket? Water, some sugary snacks. For the southern hemisphere - sunscreen, water with Oral Rehydration Salts mixed in etc. Blister plasters and so-on also handy. If nothing else: The Church of Scientology does not care much about their own. We must set the example, and be willing to aid our fellow Anonymous when in need. Bring extra bottles of water, a first aid-kit if you got it. Snacks. I've seen suggestions for disposable rain-coats. Anything you want to bring. Just don't go broke, though. :wink: Rickrolling them works so well. ...on multiple levels... Less taunting: we aren't attacking their belief, but calling them out for their crimes. Direct attacks on scientology's belief system (lol xenu) and "Honk if you hate Scientology" and "Alien Ghosts, LOL" doesn't get that credible (although I've seen plenty of really good 'honk if' signs!) We're here to educate the general public about scientology. Furthermore, harassing the same scientologists over and over again doesn't do anything, and makes us look like dicks. Don't be a dick. March around the city; talk to people; provide an authoritative, informed, and respectful introduction to the dangers of Scientology. SIGNS! "Double-sided signs. Can't stress that enough. Because your back AND front get on video too." Unclear picket signs are bad. Make sure your sign is obviously against Scientology and their crimes. Edit: Updating OP with all the good ideas. Sorry for the messy copy-pasta post, I'm at work and trying to sneak this in while my boss is looking the other way. More to come.
Learnt from Oslo: - sunday morning is dead - someone should prepare a short speech - bullhorn would have been good
Mornings tend to be rather dull since everyone is either asleep or at work. In Göteborg things did liven up an awful lot around lunch. Speeches is a grand idea! It helps morale, attracts the attention of people passing and unnerves the enemy.
that just cos you got a megaphone doesn't mean you can be a douche. we need to be careful whats said because those words will be used to represent all of us, and i don't think 'we will not rest til the streets run red with the blood of scientologists' is something we shoudl be encouraging. srsly. seriously. the london dude. wtf. also, scientologists don't smile too much.
Learned in Vienna: - Don't just let someone fax the protest permission and believe him - Announce your demonstration at the police and upload proof
learned from berlin and possibly other locations: - be prepared for scifag counter-demonstrations and -activities - next time we should have a lot of balloons, too
REQUIRED:Someone 2 create gr8 "video pack" of 2day Off-topic(ish) but... Today is already proving a resounding success (and that's just so far). However if you are creative, and have good video editing skills then please put together an effective compilation of the days footage to forward to the media and do us all proud. There's a lots of film that's come in...most of it in a "youtube style format"...which isn't that easy for the media to make use of in itself. However, this whole protest has already been an (unprecedented) internet born phenomenon which you can play to with good screencaptures/great bits of footage/and maybe even original material. Come on now... Don't be shy! If this is you...it's time to step up to the plate and get this out to all the media-whores :lol:
Logistics, Cold Weather, Signs: Take small bills, because cab drivers can only change $20 bills & lower. Um, parking remotely and walking will not work if you have a relatively large or inflexible sign that isn't easily covered by a trash bag. Simple handheld posterboard signs may rip in brisk winds, so foam board may work better, with a handle of sorts, or holes cut for easy grip. Someone should bring extra gloves, hats, scarves, medical masks, earmuffs and so on for those who hought they could do without but change their minds! Put a verified cameraperson at each end of the group to document anyone & everyone walking in, just in case they're plants/Scn's looking to bump into people, etc.
- Bicycles are EPIC to loose Scifags in a city - Recon an itinerary to loose them - Have flyers in different languages - Deception works (tell them some x persons are gathering at some other place and handing flyers).
Coordinate things to yell at scilons going into church. Concentrate more on signage. Plan to be out longer.
Something I learnt from Clearwater, which though may seem somewhat obvious, needs to be stressed. Your signs will grab attention if they are better-made than sharpie scrawled all over a big piece of paper. Please, take the time to make it easy to read, as people may stop to read and pay attention if your message comes across clearly.
Quoted for truth. Also, please, enough with the "Honk if you hate Scientology" signs, not to mention all the references to Xenu and Thetans. If you want the general public to notice and/or care, focus on the big issues: human rights violations, suppression of free speech, and tax-exempt status.
- Have a plan / extra signs ready in case your protest is dampened by idiots who are in it for the lulz. - Pre-recorded messages + megaphone = win.
In your city-thread, have a couple of people agree to be Wardens. Have them wear an armband with "warden" on it, and perhaps a shirt and hat too! Have those people responsible for getting there early, talking to police, organising clean-up, and leaving near-last to make sure everything goes ok. Consider organising a medic; that is, get someone to wear a red cross type armband and/or hat and to carry a range of goods that might come in handy. For the northern hemisphere - chemical warming pads, thermal blanket? Water, some sugary snacks. For the southern hemisphere - sunscreen, water with Oral Rehydration Salts mixed in etc. Blister plasters and so-on also handy.
A more uniform dress code might help. A moderate sized group of people wearing the exact same clothes would attract more attention than a group all wearing their own thing.
We'd have to cut it cheap in that case, as not everyone would be able to go out and buy whatever, and those that can probably can't pay for everyone else. Also, it would depend on what city for which dress code.
I fully support this, and will make an effort to bring whatever first aid knowledge I have along with supplies to the next protests.
Designate a translator for each group you split into. Make sure they're articulate and can explain what you're doing without confusion in whatever other language(s) that are popular in your area. Oh, and you can NEVER go wrong with bottled water.
I think we should designate a specific issue for each protest. I visited my local protest pretending to be a clueless bystander and although the information I was told was good it was all over the place and I suspect a real clueless bystander would have experience information overload. Our protests will be more effective if everyone is one the same page, IMHO.
Know your rights. Have it in writing. Dress for the weather--mittens big enough to accommodate heating pads (I found some hideous work gloves in my trunk and used those and was OK, but damn, my fingers hurt from those first 30 minutes!), a face mask, and 3+ layers of socks would've helped me stay longer. Some dudes didn't have any cover for their heads at all. That was ridiculous. Plan more beforehand: chants, songs, more music, better sign ideas, and a plan for protesting in shifts/getting warm and coming back would've all been great additions. Don't all mug for the cameras, and either gather in more concentrated or more evenly distributed groups. People were all over the place in clusters of varying sizes and I'm not sure the people protesting directly opposite the church were actually clearly visible from the road (or at least I don't think their signs were). My corner got lots of exposure from the road, but only had about 4 people on it half the time. When the news came, everyone ran and crowded around the guy to get on TV. I understand it, but I don't know that they were very cautious or very professional-looking.
Wardens and Medics could also bring: - Disposable raincoats. Geeks don't go outside enough to remember this stuff :lol: ..you can get them pretty cheap from cheap shops. - Flier directed at the protestors: A handout that you give to people turning up to protest reminding them of salient points, eg. Meme-light, theme-for-the-day, protest rules, wardens, medics. Who to direct questions to if you're not comfortable talking to the public (the guy in the V mask with the blue shoes, for example), key websites to address interested public to (youfoundthecard.com being one of the very best intro sites). And the medic idea, I must confess, is probably not original. I saw it on one of the post-game threads (at least, I saw a guy with a red-cross armband and immediately thought "oo he's a medic, cool idea!"). But it's still a neat idea to propogate! Oh, we also learnt that anon is kick-ass at talking to the press and making coverage. I really think that's a key strength - so many people are willing to get out there, talk to the press, tell them about the protests and write to editors, journos, etc. It's very cool!
Agree we should be wary of those weird little memes but... Rickrolling them works so well. ...on multiple levels... We must strike fear in their hearts through the love of Rick Astley :lol: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=l3vek-CVNFg
I would also like to bring up a suggestion for those of us in warmer climates, such as Florida, and this extends to anyone who can use this. The phrase of "An army marches on its stomach" by Bonaparte holds some sense. While the tenth of February does not hold much heat by Florida standards, as the raids progress and we draw closer to the summer, consider your fellow protester. I would encourage other Anons to bring along bottles of water, perhaps batteries and hand fans, or any other materials that can help a protest stay upright for any period of time. I myself have already said I would be perfectly willing to help with any medical issues that come up with what training I have, and will likely be bringing along several supplies in relation to various energy boosting snacks(cake?) and water. Hell, might even wheel around a little MediKart, since i'm hardcore like that. But I must stress camaraderie, brother and sister Anonymous. If you have things you can spare to bring, perhaps bring along a small backpack, or anything that can hold such things. Someone marching another hour or leaving early can be changed by how hydrated they are, or how much energy they have to walk. Now, having previously lived in cold climates I can understand how for a lot of you Toronto people, or even those around New York, or Seattle, that a bottle of water will rapidly turn into a brick of ice. So, bring a thermos of something hot, or anything that can be used to keep others in the action. Hell, even extra cash in case one would want to stop and get vended delectables would help people out. What i'm trying to stress is this: The Church of Scientology does not care much about their own. We must set the example, and be willing to aid our fellow Anonymous when in need.
At first I thought it flew in the face of the Anonymous ideal to have spokespeople but actually, after the 10th I think it's a good idea. People who: - Are visible enough that media can be directed at them. Note they can still be totally anonymous, just as long as the anonymous hordes know where they are. Give them a lanyard or something. - Have researched the talking points and can respond intelligently - Can act as a gobetween to the authorities so the authorities feel confident that things aren't getting out of control - Possibly have a supply of information - as well as spare fliers, knowledge of the area so they can assist protesters to find and get to contact points, supplies, food, water, travel etc. It seemed like before and during the protests there was a certain amount of consternation about what kind of signs were effective to the cause and chants and whatnot - again I agree, but it seems like if we could be sure that there were these spokespeople there doing their job there is less need to worry about that. The people that are there for the fun can come for the fun and add to the body count, and happily pass requests for info onto the people that have it, and so on.
Nebulous, thought I'd start a topic just that idea (and the medic idea). Have a read, it's full of ME WIN! http://forums.enturbulation.org/viewtopic.php?t=2133 Seriously would like some comment on that one. And maybe some cool pictures of people who chose that class - along with power levelling tips and good places to grind (rawrrr).
A lot of great ideas here. You could say I am in "information analyisis"... later on today I will write up what I gleaned from the media reports of our protests and what we must do to eliminate those types of comments from the reports on the B-day protest.
It's possible to be striking, memorable, even funny - and still be on-message. It's going to take some practice before doing so becomes second nature. Which is fine. We've got time.
BAD! Anything that identifies you as a "leader" makes you a target. Tell everyone to bring extras of whatever is needed. Anonymous stays anonymous. No "Anonymous Plus."
