Silence is not an option for an activist.

Holding a protest is an effective way to show others how animals are abused in circuses, on factory farms and in laboratories. If you want to expose animal exploitation, holding a demonstration is essential. Despite the negative connotations associated with protests, they don’t have to be violent. In fact, the demonstrations that are fun and non-violent are indeed the most successful.

To protest successfully, you must also know and follow the laws in carrying out non-violent demonstrations. If you sincerely wish to help animals, stick to the laws. If not, all you will gain is an arrest and a bad reputation. So many people can’t face the truth about animal exploitation and enjoy deeming animal rights activists as angry radicals. Prove them wrong. The following are the fundamental laws you must know if you want to get involved in non-violent protests.

Jovan J/Flickr

Obtain a Protest Permit

To participate in a legal protest, you must contact your local police and request a protest permit. Not all police departments will issue or require a protest permit. If this is the case, you should contact your local police nevertheless and notify them of your intentions. Then they can prepare for the protest and schedule officers for crowd control.

Prepare

Before you leap into a full blown protest, prepare ahead of time. Choose who will be the spokesperson and educate each activist on what to say if the media asks questions. If a bystander or member of the media starts asking questions, you want to look professional. It’s your time to shine and raise your voice for those without one. Remaining speechless will not benefit animals in any way. Preparation will boost your confidence to do your best on the day. Present yourself in a positive way. That means dress the part and act the part.

Compose Yourself

No matter how well you present the facts, you are never far from mocking voices. Face the fact that some will disagree with your message. You can argue back till you’re blue in the face, but where’s that going to get you? To make a real difference, you need allies. To get allies, you need to stay positive, optimistic and focused. Even to the people with whom you disagree, you should stay compassionate.

Offensive Language Must Not Be Used

As animal activists, we want to be portrayed as intelligent individuals keen on compassion. Using offensive language during a demonstration will only give the opposite impression. Blaspheme should be avoided at all costs if you want to be an effective and inspiring activist. Your audience will only get the wrong impression of you. And you don’t leave an impression as being a cursing protester. Nobody will listen to a word you say.

Have a Clear Objective

Your message, when protesting, must be clear and concise. Your audience should understand the message you are trying to get across, without any confusion. To be effective, convey a message that prompts people to act. It is also essential that your language is clear. That means jargon should be avoided to aid clarity.

So Green Monsters, have you ever participated in a peaceful protest? We want to hear about it! Show us by joining our Unleash Your Green Monster Campaign,  HERE.

Lead image source: grahameb/Wikimedia Commons