It’s hard to organize protests during the holiday season, but you do your best to put together some de-escalation trainings to address people’s fears of counter-protestors.
The trainers walk people through a range of responses for different scenarios. Groups singing in formation can help deflect tension with counter-protestors. You can create a “flying squad” of highly trained people to form a barrier and fly into emergency situations. If violence does ensue, you see options ranging from calmly walking away in groups, to sitting down, to using physical means to protect your bodies. Choices mean power. You feel more powerful.
You pick a date and have your protest on a cold week in December. It’s a decent turnout. In the end, 16 counter-protestors come and try to intimidate. But your group largely ignores them and drowns them out with songs. No violence happens.
