How to hold a demonstration

Do it at the right time

This is because you are unlikely to hold more than 1 demonstration for your campaign.

For the demonstration to gain attention and have an impact you need to make sure:

• you’ve engaged and got support from your community

• enough people know and are angry about the housing issue

• enough people will come to the demonstration

Planning at short notice

If an urgent issue has cropped up and needs attention immediately, you can plan a demonstration quickly and will likely get people along. This is because urgent issues have an urgent need to be addressed so you can quickly build momentum.

Urgent issues usually already have media interest so your demonstration is more likely to be reported on by journalists.

Planning in advance

If you are dealing with a less urgent or long-term housing issue you should aim to plan your demonstration 4 to 6 weeks in advance. This gives you plenty of time to promote the event, as well as get interest from local media outlets.

Decide on the purpose of the demonstration

This is an important starting point as it will help inform what kind of demonstration you want to have and what you want to include.

The purpose could be to:

• put pressure on the people with the power to address the housing issue

• gain local media attention

• have as many people as possible come together to show support

• raise awareness of your issue

Who to notify

If you are planning a march, you must notify your local authority and the police at least 28 days in advance. This is because some streets may need to be blocked off and the police will need to help manage traffic.

You do not need permission if you are planning a demonstration in an open, public space (not privately owned) where you will be stationary. It is up to you if you wish to notify your local authority and the police.

Create an event listing

There are many platforms you can use to create an event listing. Facebook can be a good option as you can:

• have multiple hosts

• invite your friends and family through Facebook

• post the event details in local Facebook community groups

What to include

This is where you can get fun and creative with your group!

Spend some time thinking of creative ideas of what you want to include. Everything you include should serve a purpose. Some starting points for you to think about:

• Have you created leaflets with information about your campaign and a call to action that you can hand out to everyone who attends?

• Are there local musicians affected by or care about the housing issue and would be happy to play at the demonstration?

• Can you come up with an effective, fun chant that can get the crowd going?

• Is there something visual you can use? For example, large pictures of poor quality homes.

Assigning roles

You can have as many or as few roles as you like. Here are some suggestions:

• stewards to help coordinate protestors – this is especially important if you are marching

• a police liaison to notify the police when required, and to speak to the police about the demonstration on the day

• a media coordinator who can signpost local reporters who may want to write about your demonstration

• a nominated media spokesperson who is prepared with your key messages and calls to action

• a leaflet distributor to help you spread your campaign message

• a central organiser who knows what everyone is responsible for, and therefore can signpost effectively

• a social media lead, who can post pictures, videos and updates on the demonstration as they happen