6 Campaign Actions From 2023 and What We Can Learn From Them
Met Police’s bad apples, Refuge
In January 2023 Refuge placed 1071 bad apples outside the Met Police headquarters, symbolising the number of police officers who had been investigated for domestic abuse or violence against women.
It secured the feminist campaigners mainstream media coverage, including BBC News and The Independent. It helped Refuge to draw attention to research that may otherwise have been less of a news story.
We can’t know how the Met police felt inside the building as the apples piled up, but Refuge would have been hoping it applied pressure.
Newspapers love photos. Even if they won't write a story about your protest or campaign stunt, they'll often use the photo to illustrate another news story. If your image tells a powerful story, it is a chance to shape the narrative.
Campaign stunts with a powerful image can also help us send messages to people across the world that we’re with them. In 2016, some friends and I organised a protest in response to France’s burkini ban. We poured a truck full of sand outside the French Embassy turning it into a beach. It was covered in major UK and French newspapers and even on the front page of the Financial Times. We hoped it sent a message to Muslim women: we’re with you.
Lesson: Visualise how your action will appear in newspapers, even draw it out on paper. Make sure your photos are as unique as possible and tell your story without needing (many) words.
2. World Snooker Championship, Just Stop Oil
Say what you want about Just Stop Oil, but they know how to make climate change front page news like no one else.
In April 2023 a twenty six year old man threw orange powder paint at the World Snooker Championship. Now, many will say that snooker fans are the wrong target, but they’re probably misunderstanding Just Stop Oil’s strategy.
Snooker wasn’t the target, just as actors and film fans weren’t the target of Sisters Uncut when they crashed the premiere of Suffragette in 2015.
Sisters Uncut’s protest fulfilled the feminists’ aims: drawing attention to the women dying due to cuts to domestic violence services and many of the actors supported their demands.
Similarly, Just Stop Oil turned up where they knew the media would be. They say they want to be “like an annoying mosquito buzzing around” our heads, creating flash points with “huge media and social media impact.” Well, job done, but whether they just stop oil remains to be seen.
Lesson: Make the most of key events where the country’s media will be. Think about where your audience already is and act quick when an opportunity arises!
3. Ticket office protests, RMT, DPAC and others
When plans to close 1000 ticket offices were announced, trade unions like RMT led the campaign against it, alongside community campaigners, Disabled People Against Cuts and others.
The RMT organised a National Day of Action with “dozens” of protests across the UK. F
rom Hebden Bridge to Thanet disabled activists took centre stage.
Protests were combined with worker-led strikes and a whopping 750,000 people responded to the government consultation on the issue. In October a government u-turn was announced. They won!
Workers within trade unions across the UK had a number of victories in 2023, bus workers won huge pay increases, university staff won back their pensions - and trade unions even defeated the government in the high court. While campaign actions are often a part of this, organising within workplaces is key. There is a lot to be learnt by non-profits from this collective approach.
Lessons: Affected people like the disabled and elderly make protests an interesting story for media. Protests that are outside of Westminster and with a coalition of campaigners increase pressure on targets.
4. Rishi Sunak’s house, Greenpeace
One morning in August 2023, four Greenpeace climbers covered Rishi Sunak’s North Yorkshire mansion in 200 metres squared of oil-black fabric.
It secured major news coverage for the message “no new oil”, adding to the cries of Just Stop Oil and a wave of climate protests in 2023.
The activists were arrested and the protest was met with strong government reaction too. Ministers called for Greenpeace to be blocked from meeting any government figures in future.
The fact that they’d accessed the Prime Minister’s house gave this action some tension and shock factor, making it more likely to perform well on social media and in the press. But as the Conservative government introduces law after law to crack down on peaceful protest, the shock factor is riskier than ever.
Protests are often planned to ilicit a negative response in order to build public support for protesters, like how civil rights campaigners marched in Selma, USA because they knew that was where police would over-react. The violence of the police would be seen by the whole country and increase support for anti-racism.
For Greenpeace though, most of the country wasn’t watching the over reaction of the government. But as they painstakingly organise all of their protests, often over months or years and work with skilled and legally informed activists, they would’ve had full awareness of the risk. They hoped the reward (getting their message in the media) outweighed the risk. And when the government really isn’t doing anything climate change campaigners want anyway, the risk of being ignored by them isn’t exactly worth changing course for.
Lesson: Often you need your target to feel uncomfortable to make them act. Brave actions are more likely to draw the eye of the public - but risks must be understood and prepared for properly.
5. Holocaust Survivor confronts Suella Braverman, Freedom From Torture
Working with Freedom From Torture, Holocaust survivor Joan confronted Suella Braverman.
Tension is an under rated component of a campaign action, in my view. The fact you are somewhere you shouldn’t be and saying something uncomfortable grabs attention.
But the most key thing about this action was Joan’s story. As a Holocaust survivor it would be hard for anyone to dismiss her concerns and she was likely to reach audiences “activist types” may not.
This action was planned with a clear aim, audience and outcome and then we simply had to wait a few months for the right event to be held to turn the plan into action. Effective actions often look spontaneous but have involved a thought out strategy. Rosa Parks didn't just sit on the bus one day - it was part of a plan hatched by civil rights activists to expose discrimination!
Saul Alinksy said “the action is in the reaction.” The reaction we recieve from our target is part of the action itself and key to its effectiveness.
In this case, Braverman responded with shocking disregard and the government tried to get the video taken down. As we expected, it showed leading politicians up for their cruelty and grew sympathy for refugee issues from mainstream and right wing voices.
Lesson: It’s the messenger, not just the message, especially if you want to persuade people outside your bubble.
6. Palestine marches, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others
In Autumn “ceasefire now” marches began, as collective punishment was used on people in Gaza.
Politicians wanted the call for a ceasefire to feel like a fringe position, but as thousands moved our feet down city streets, our voices blending into a unified choir, we knew that was not the case. I was almost in tears as we chanted for the children of Gaza.
A global movement spread, with protest in countless countries across the world. Politicians looked (and are) out of step with public opinion.
I must also mention the protests at Puma shops and offices which were the final straw in a five year campaign to stop them operating on occupied land. Puma have now halted their sponsorship of Israel’s football team.
One consequence of mass “Ceasefire Now” protests has been to increase awareness of the genocide of Palestinian people and the long history of UK and US involvement. Rather than diminishing as time went on, protests have grown in size.
The growth of your movement can be a key aim of campaign actions. So does it look empowering? Can it be fun? Movements like Sunrise Movement have built across the US by using protests to galvanise, as a meeting place and way to recruit young people. PSC’s relentless protest organisation (helped by the government’s ridiculous response) has put pressure on politicians but I’d guess it’s also successfully grown its support base.
Lesson: If you can get big numbers, marches can draw public interest in your cause and recruit supporters - but protests on economic targets hold promise for change
My recommendations: a summary
A unique image gets you media
Be relevant or responsive to the news cycle
Let affected people lead the way
Make your target uncomfortable
Use the right message AND messenger
Use your protest as a recruitment tool
What actions will create change in 2024?
Campaign actions could make sure our out of touch politicians actually talk about the things that matter as we approach a General Election. So how will you take action? When? And with who?
Oh and one more question, will a Labour government get rid of the Conservative laws that make so many organisations too scared to protest? We’re watching, Keir.