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

Protest kit and outfit

Key points

  • Covering clothes, closed shoes, no contact lenses.
  • Ski goggles for the eyes, an A2P3 or ABEK1P3 half-mask against gas, earplugs.
  • Keep your face uncovered until you are exposed to gas: covering it without a legitimate reason is an offence.
  • In the bag: ID, water, saline solution, power bank, numbers on paper.
  • Leave at home: anything that could pass for a weapon, and lists of comrades' names.

Simple, covering clothes with no unnecessary distinctive signs, and a small light bag. The goal: protect yourself, be able to leave quickly, and carry nothing that could be held against you.

Where to start?

Clothes

  • Covering clothes (long sleeves, trousers) in cotton or sturdy synthetic fabric: gas settles on the skin.1
  • Comfortable closed shoes for walking and running.
  • No contact lenses: gas gets trapped underneath. Wear your glasses, under ski goggles.2
  • Long hair tied back, no dangling jewellery.
  • Avoid oily creams, make-up and sunscreen: they hold irritants on the skin.1
  • A spare layer in a sealed plastic bag, to change after gas exposure.

Protection

Equipment What it is for Good to know
Ski goggles (preferably) or sealed safety goggles Protect the eyes from gas, shards and projectiles Wide, fit over prescription glasses. Foam vents let gas through: choose a model without vents (safety goggles EN 166 marked "5", gas and fine dust) or tape over the vents. Impact-certified protection also carries an impact marking (F, B or A). 32
Suction swim goggles Avoid if you have better They block gas, but they are not protective equipment: no impact certification, small cups pressed on the eye socket, fog up quickly, narrow field of view. 3
Sunglasses or glasses alone Do not protect Gas gets in around the lenses. 2
Half mask with A2P3 or ABEK1P3 cartridges Filter particles and vapours of tear gas (CS) P3 filters more than 99.95 % of fine particles; the A/ABEK part captures vapours. A full-face mask also protects the eyes and leaks less. 4
FFP2/FFP3 mask (filtering site mask) Particles and dust Does not filter vapours: useful, but not enough against dense gas. Surgical masks are useless against gas. 45
Earplugs Protect hearing from explosive grenades Foam ones, always in a pocket.
Body protection: knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards (roller type), shin guards Cushion falls, crushes, blows and projectiles on the limbs Wear them under your clothes, discreet and flexible; street medics use them too. 6
Helmet (bike, ski) Protect the head from falls and projectiles The most visible item: often debated and may be confiscated at checks. 7
Scarf Last resort against gas Barely effective; no substitute for a mask.

Protective gear: not banned, but sometimes confiscated

No law bans wearing protection. But during searches before marches, police have confiscated goggles, masks and pads, and gear found in a bag has been used as evidence to prosecute people for "taking part in a group preparing violence" (article 222-14-2 of the Criminal Code). Prefer discreet protection under your clothes, and carry nothing that could pass for a weapon.89

Keep your face uncovered until you are exposed

Covering your face at a protest without a legitimate reason is an offence in France (article 431-9-1 of the Criminal Code: up to 1 year in prison and a €15,000 fine). Courts have accepted protection against tear gas as a legitimate reason, but the police assess it first. Keep mask and goggles in your hand or around your neck, and put them on only when gas is used.1011

In the bag

  • ID (a check without papers can lead to an identity verification of up to 4 hours), some cash, transport ticket.12
  • Water: one bottle to drink, one to rinse.
  • Saline single doses (eye rinse), plasters, compresses (detailed first-aid kit).
  • Sugary snack, personal medication with a copy of the prescription (useful if you are arrested).5
  • If you menstruate: sanitary pads rather than tampons, which are considered too risky when worn for a long time.5
  • Power bank; phone charged and locked with a PIN (not fingerprint or face).13
  • Automatic photo backup on over mobile data, to an encrypted service (see "Film the police").
  • Paper with useful numbers (see "Never stay alone").

Leave at home

  • Anything that could be considered a weapon: knife, tool, blunt object, firecrackers, even "for self-defence".
  • Notebooks, lists or documents with comrades' names or contacts.
  • A phone holding your whole history: if possible, a secondary phone or a messenger with disappearing messages (Signal).
  • Alcohol and drugs: they slow your reflexes and can make an arrest worse.

First aid: what to do about gas

In one of these situations? a beginner (it's my first protest) · tear-gassed · older · young or a student · 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.

  1. Street medics — Les gestes à adopter en manif (booklet) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩

  2. Allodocteurs — En manifestation, comment se protéger des gaz lacrymo ? · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩↩

  3. EN 166 standard: eye protection markings (field "5", impact resistance) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩

  4. Technical sheet of an ABEK1P3 full-face mask (P3 filtration, seal) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩

  5. Medicaction — Les gestes à adopter en manif (two-page leaflet, July 2024, in French) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩↩↩

  6. Mille Babords — Se protéger en manifestation (cahier, 2023) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  7. Outside — Lunettes de piscine, masques de ski, casques de vélo : la polémique autour des protections en manifestation · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  8. franceinfo — Est-il interdit de manifester avec des lunettes de plongée et du sérum ? · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  9. Amnesty International France — Usage excessif de la force lors des manifestations · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  10. French Criminal Code, article 431-9-1 (Légifrance) · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  11. Eurojuris — La dissimulation du visage à l'occasion de manifestations · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  12. Service-Public — Contrôle d'identité · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

  13. EFF Surveillance Self-Defense — Attending a protest · AI-sourced on · awaiting human check ↩

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