Guides¶
Guides to read before you go, available offline once the site has been opened (or installed) on your phone.
Where to start? Pre-protest checklist · Never stay alone · Police custody (garde à vue) · Not sure? I am… and I want to…
Not sure which guide you need? Say where you are (tear-gassed, first protest, witness to an arrest…): the guided search I am… and I want to… takes you to the right part.
Before the protest¶
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Charged phone, power bank, apps and offline map installed, numbers on paper.
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A freedom, not a permission: declaring, lawful and unlawful bans, how to challenge them.
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What the law forbids at a protest
Gatherings, weapons, hidden faces, violence: the penalties provided and what the text says.
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Why property gets smashed at protests
Who breaks things, why, what you risk, how to react.
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What to wear, what to bring: mask, goggles, saline, ID.
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Signs, banners, flags and leaflets
A clear message, light cardboard or fabric, a plain flag, leaflets, slogans to avoid, collections of protest signs.
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Public transport, car-sharing, bike, on foot, and an exit plan.
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Signal, Briar or Meshtastic: which tool for which network and situation.
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Phone: emergency lock, passcode and seizure
Disable Face ID / fingerprint in 2 seconds, passcode in custody, what to do if your phone is seized.
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Buddy, meeting point, emergency contacts, getting home.
During the protest¶
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Dispersal, warnings and kettling
Recognise warnings, leave in time, react if you are kettled.
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ID checks, bag searches and fines
Identity verification, who can search your bag, why you should never pay a fine on the spot.
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Tear gas, injuries, fainting, shock: the right moves.
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Police weapons: effects, injuries and debris
Recognise batons, tear gas, LBD, GENL, GM2L, GL-304 and stun munitions to adapt medical care and preserve evidence.
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Film interventions, keep the evidence, publish without exposing, archive.
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Avoid being targeted, react to an attack, file a complaint.
After the protest¶
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DNA, fingerprints and photos in police custody
Signalisation, sampling, the TAJ file, the DNA file, refusal and erasure requests.
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Your rights, what to say (and not say), minors, after release.
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Filing a complaint, voluntary interview and trial
Medical certificate, complaint to the prosecutor, voluntary interview and documents for a fast-track trial.
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Emotional shock, anxiety and mental health
Calm a panic attack, cope with the post-protest aftermath, free helplines (3114, 116 006).
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Sexist violence and online harassment
React at the protest, protect yourself from doxxing, helplines.
Depending on your situation¶
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High-school students: blockades, absences, sanctions
What is allowed, possible sanctions, the disciplinary board.
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Right to strike in private and public sectors, absences, sanctions.
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Protesting without French nationality
Residence risks, rights in custody, useful contacts.
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Disability or chronic condition
Prescriptions, asthma and tear gas, sensory hypersensitivity, rights in custody (114, sign language).
Mobilise and inform¶
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Notify, prepare safety, risks for organisers.
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Signal groups: organising while limiting leaks
Public, airlock and vetted groups, in-person vetting, naming, seized phones.
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The Palestinian flag at protests
What is legal, banned demonstrations, risky slogans.
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Don't push the far right up, push your causes up, spot bots.
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Talking to the press at a protest
Decide who speaks, one sentence, don't expose yourself.
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Photographing and filming for the press
Status, dispersal, image rights, metadata.
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Check a story and avoid disinformation
Check a story, an image or a toll; write a short, sourced debunk.
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Talk about the mobilisation without arguing: listen, tell, suggest.
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A few songs of struggle, old and recent, with links to their lyrics.
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Non-violent action training, mobilisation calendar, accounts to follow.