My Palestine Protest Handbook

This editable guide helps you understand what might happen at a pro-Palestine protest. It also includes a social story.

Contents

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to help you understand what might happen at a pro-Palestine protest and how you can prepare to increase its accessibility and inclusivity for everyone.

A protest is when people gather together to show what they care about. Many people go to protests because they care about human rights and want to show leaders that Palestinians deserve safety, dignity, and freedom.

It is an editable guide that you can edit for your own and others needs. It also includes a social story.

This guide was put together with love by Megan from Newcastle Mums for Palestine and Prue Stevenson, with contributions from Daniella Trimboli and Monique Tovo.

How to use this guide

You can change the words, add photos, or draw pictures to make it work best for you or the person you’re supporting.
It’s okay to skip parts that don’t feel useful. The goal is to feel ready and confident.
Page 24 features a condensed social story that can be customised according to individual needs, based on the full guide.

Tips for editors:

Swap in real photos of the location, police uniforms, friends, or items to bring.
Keep sentences short.
Use “I” statements so it feels personal and empowering
Print it or keep it on a phone for easy reference.

Introduction 2
Before the protest 5
Understanding protests 5
Preparing what you might need 6
Understanding the start location 8
This is the route that the march will take 9
Finding public toilets 10
Understanding the people at the protest 11
Participants at the protest 11
Marshals 11
Medics 12
Legal observers 12
Police 14
Speaking to police 14
Being searched by police 15
Being arrested by police 15
Other people to be aware of at a protest 16
During the protest 18
What can I do? 18
What are some examples of call and repeat chants? 18
What should I be aware of? 19
What are tactics I can do to emotionally ground myself? 19
Box breathing 19
3-2-1 Sensory input 19
Pressing Palms 20
Other methods 20
End location 21
When the protest finishes 21
Points to remember 22
My space for notes: 23
Social Story: Going to a Palestine protest 24
Before the protest 24
Getting ready 24
People I might see 25
During the protest 25
If I need to calm myself 25
When the protest ends 26
Important things to remember 26
Photo credits: 27