Not yet reviewed by a lawyer. Sourced information, to be confirmed.

Signs, banners, flags and leaflets¶

Key points

A short, clear and simple message, readable from a distance.¹
Light cardboard held by hand rather than a pole; nothing that could serve as a weapon, and nothing that is ever used as one. A flag is carried like a banner: light fabric, a plain pole.
Avoid any slogan that threatens, or that can be read as supporting a terrorist act.
Draw on the collections of protest signs below, but re-read a slogan before reusing it.
Make a stencil on fabric or cardboard, never on the public highway (inscription without authorisation: fine).²
A leaflet holds one idea, one action, one source: hand out on foot, post on the opinion boards.³⁴
Photograph your sign without faces.

A good sign is one idea. It is read in a few seconds, in a march that keeps moving, and it is made to be photographed. This guide applies to every cause; for the legal context of the Palestinian flag, see The Palestinian flag at protests.

Where to start?

You are making a sign or a banner: the message then the material.
You want a stencil or a flag: the stencil or the flag.
You hand out or post leaflets: leaflets, posters and stickers.
Before reusing a slogan: risky slogans.

The message¶

One idea, a few words. A "clear, powerful and simple" message: this is Amnesty's rule for its banners, and it applies to a sign.¹
Write big, with a thick marker or paint, on a contrasting background: it must be readable from several metres away.
Say what you stand for, rather than only who or what you are against.
Humour and wordplay work: that is what the collections of signs below remember.
No name, number or address on a sign. It gets photographed, posted and shared.

The material¶

For a sign: light cardboard, held by hand, without a pole.
For a banner: non-stretch, washable cotton (calico, linen, sailcloth), water-based paint (emulsion or acrylic), and light poles such as bamboo to carry it.¹
No heavy, pointed or metal-tipped poles. Taking part in a demonstration while carrying a weapon is an offence punished by 3 years in prison and a €45,000 fine.⁵ An object is only treated as a weapon if it is used or intended by whoever carries it to kill, injure or threaten:⁶ a sign or a banner pole is not one, as long as it never serves for anything other than carrying your message.
If needed, a pole that comes apart, or a banner carried by several hands, so you don't arrive at a check with a long stick.

For the rest of the equipment, see Protest kit and outfit.

The stencil¶

A stencil lets you reproduce the same message quickly on several items (banner, signs, T-shirts).

A simple design and large letters: fine details get lost in a stencil.
Thin cardboard or plastic film, cut with a craft knife and held flat (painter's tape) while you paint.
On fabric or cardboard, never on the public highway. Drawing inscriptions, signs or pictures without prior authorisation on facades, vehicles, public roads or street furniture is punishable by a €3,750 fine and community service when the damage is slight. If property is damaged, the penalty can reach two years in prison and €30,000.²
Let it dry before folding or rolling the banner or sign, to avoid smudges.

The flag¶

A flag is carried like a banner: light fabric, a plain pole, the same rules as above on objects treated as weapons.⁵⁶
No pole in your bag: at a check, a long stick draws attention. Two ways to avoid carrying one on the way: a rigid telescopic fishing rod (it packs short in a bag, and the shaft extends once you are there), or a piece of wood picked up on site (slats from an abandoned pallet, a batten). No object is a weapon in itself: everything depends on how it is used or what it is meant for.⁶ Seizure therefore remains possible, case by case, at the officers' discretion.
With a fishing rod: choose a light one, without a reel or hook, and only extend it for the flag. A thin shaft bends in the wind: prefer a small flag.
With wood picked up: take only what is truly abandoned (not street furniture, not a building site), with no nail, point or splinter, and leave it on site at the end rather than keeping it on the way home.
To fix the flag to the pole: thin string or cord, a few cable ties (Serflex or Rilsan type) or adhesive tape, which fit in a pocket. Prepare them before leaving.
What you are blamed for is the context and the message, not the flag itself: for the Palestinian flag, the dedicated guide details what you can be blamed for, banned demonstrations and apology of terrorism (The Palestinian flag at protests).
Avoid any flag or symbol that can be read as supporting a terrorist act, as with a slogan.
On the way there, keep flags and badges in your bag if you fear the far right: they make you identifiable (Far-right attacks).

Risky slogans¶

A written threat is punished, including on a sign: 6 months in prison and a €7,500 fine, and 3 years and €45,000 for a death threat.⁷
Apology of terrorism (presenting a terrorist act or its perpetrators favourably) is an offence punished by 5 years in prison and a €75,000 fine.⁸ Prosecutions have risen sharply: see placards, slogans and posts for the figures and advice.
What you chant can be held against you like what you write: threats⁷ and apology of terrorism⁸ apply out loud too. Pick short, rhythmic slogans about the substance.
Check the origin and meaning of a slogan before reusing it: a slogan seen in a photo or on social media may mean something other than what you think.
The risks of a tense demonstration: see Why does property get smashed at protests?.

Leaflets, posters and stickers¶

A leaflet or poster is meant to invite, inform, or point to a reliable source, not to say everything.

The content¶

One idea, one action, one source. What should the reader do afterwards (come, sign, read a guide)? Add a link or QR code to a precise source.
A date, a time, a place for a meeting, and nothing more.
Check every fact before printing: a wrong figure on 500 copies cannot be corrected. See Check a story.
No personal name, phone number or address. Give a collective contact (a dedicated address, a public group), not yours.
No threats, no support for a terrorist act: same rules as for a sign (risky slogans).

Handing out¶

On foot, to people passing by. Handing out or having handed out leaflets to drivers or occupants of vehicles on a road open to traffic is punished by a fourth-class fine.³
On a pavement, without blocking the way.
Print only what you can hand out: leaflets dropped on the ground make a mess and turn against the movement. Print the line "Do not throw on the public highway" (« Ne pas jeter sur la voie publique ») on the leaflet: no text expressly requires it, but it is commonly treated as mandatory, it clears your liability if a leaflet ends up on the ground, and a local order can require it.⁹ A mayor cannot ban distribution in a general and absolute way, only in a way limited in space and time where disorder is proven.¹⁰ Either way, put it on.

Posting¶

Use the opinion-posting boards. The mayor must set up one or more spaces for opinion posting and non-profit associations' notices, free of charge.⁴
Outside those boards, don't post anything without consent: the Environment Code punishes with a €7,500 fine placing advertising in banned places or locations.¹¹ Whether it applies to an opinion poster is something to confirm with a lawyer.
Never on private property without consent, and no tags: see the stencil section in Make your sign (article 322-1 of the Criminal Code).²

Stickers¶

On something that is yours or with permission (bottle, bag, laptop), not on street furniture or someone else's vehicle.
Same content rule as a leaflet: one message, no threats, no personal identity.

Draw on collections of protest signs¶

Media outlets list every year the signs that marked the marches. Take them as inspiration: these are press or entertainment collections, so always re-read a slogan before reusing it. Most are in French.

Labour law, 2016: Politis's photo report on the "improvised slogans" of the Paris march.¹²
Pension reform, 2023: Topito's ranking¹³ and Le Bonbon's selection of the strikers' signs.¹⁴
Yellow vests, 2018: the slogans and signs gathered by Le Bonbon.¹⁵
Climate March, 2019: the 15 most creative signs according to Démotivateur.¹⁶
May 68: the slogans of the uprising, collected by the Marxists Internet Archive (in English).¹⁷

On social media, we found no reference account devoted to protest signs whose reliability we could check. Search with keywords ("signs", "protest", "strike") on the platform of your choice, and check who is posting. If you know a reliable account, suggest it.

Photographing your sign¶

Frame the sign, not the faces: a sign reads perfectly well with nobody behind it.
Blur anything that identifies someone before posting (Film the police).
Credit the source when you reuse someone else's sign.
To push it online, see Social media: don't feed hate, including the anonymity of shared links.

Protest kit and outfit · The Palestinian flag at protests · Signal groups: roles useful at protests

In one of these situations? a beginner (it's my first protest) · a high-school student · organising a protest · keen to get involved or trained · afraid, but I want to act

Sources¶

Each note links to the source of the information. Most sources are in French. Laws change: check the date of the source and, if in doubt, ask a lawyer.

Amnesty International — How to make a banner · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩↩
Légifrance — Criminal Code, article 322-1 (damage, unauthorised inscriptions; in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩↩
Légifrance — Highway Code, article R412-52 (leaflets handed to drivers; in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩
Légifrance — Environment Code, article L581-13 (opinion posting; in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩
French Criminal Code, art. 431-10 (taking part in a demonstration while carrying a weapon) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩
French Criminal Code, art. 132-75 (definition of a weapon and objects treated as one) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩↩
French Criminal Code, article 222-17 (Légifrance) · AI-sourced on Oct 29, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩
Club des juristes — Glorifying terrorism: one offence too many? · AI-sourced on Oct 28, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩↩
Banque des Territoires — Must election leaflets carry mandatory mentions? (2020, in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Maire-info — Can a mayor ban the distribution of opinion leaflets in a market? (2025, in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Légifrance — Environment Code, article L581-34 (advertising in banned places; in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Politis — Loi travail: protesters' messages (24 March 2016, in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Topito — Top 20+ protest signs against the pension reform (April 2023, in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Le Bonbon — The strikers' best protest signs (March 2023, in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Le Bonbon — Yellow vests: the best slogans and signs (December 2018, in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Démotivateur — The 15 most creative signs at the Climate March (March 2019, in French) · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩
Marxists Internet Archive — May 1968 slogans · AI-sourced on Oct 31, 2026 · awaiting human check ↩