Direct action - Non violent NVDA - The Commons Social Change Library

Legal Guides for Activists about Protests

A collection of legal guides and resources for activists about protesting in Australia

Yellow triangle with words that read - vote for the franklin. The triangle is on top of an image of Rock Island Bend, a rock formation in the Franklin River. Steep rock cliffs with forest frame the river flowing towards a large rock outcrop that the river flows around.

Franklin River Campaign

Learn all about the successful Franklin River Campaign that took place in Tasmania in the 1980s. Includes videos & school resources.

A 89 year old woman wearing a hat, knee length coat and dress stands in bare feet in the water of a bay holding an umbrella standing in front of a pile of dumped sand being tipped out of a truck

Fighting for the Foreshore: The Campaigns to Protect Mounts Bay and Kings Park

Read an account of Perth’s first two major conservation campaigns, the preservation of Kings Park bushland and the survival of Mounts Bay.

book cover with illustration of swirling leaves. Text reads World Protests A study of Key protest issues in the 21st century

New Study Reveals a World of Growing Protests

A recent study verifies an increase in the size and frequency of protests and paints a fascinating picture of the characteristics of protests around the world.

Blockaders sitting on the road with Aboriginal Australian flags and a large banner at the back that reads - Ngiyaningu Maran Yaliwunga Ngara-Li - Our ancestors are always watching.

What Will It Take for the Climate Movement to Win?

Nick Beuret discusses the strategies required to solve the climate crisis… he argues for a focus on movement building and direct action.

black and white photo of two police dragging one person along the ground and accompanying another woman off a sports oval

Australian Actions at the Point of Assumption

Points of Assumption – A list of Australian examples of tactics and actions that have reframed debates and beliefs and made social change.

a group of people protesting on the street wearing face masks and holding their fists in the air. There is a banner in the back reading Black Lives Matter. The person at the front wearing an Australian Aboriginal flag is holding their phone.

Australian Actions at Different Points of Intervention

Australian examples of actions that intensify impact in terms of ensuring visibility, challenging opponents, and disrupting narratives.

Changing Beliefs Through Action at the Point of Assumption

How can activists reframe debates & beliefs? By challenging the assumptions that underpin them using powerful actions at points of intervention.

workers sitting on steps outside Opera House

The 1972 Sydney Opera House Work-In

Learn about the Sydney Opera House ‘work-in’ carried out by construction workers who expelled management & continued work under workers’ control.

Points of Intervention

Campaigners – Where is the best place to take action with the greatest impact? Learn about making change using points of intervention.

a group of men in work clothes covered in coal dust wearing hard hats with miners lamps on the hats

The Nymboida Coal Mine Takeover, NSW, 1975–1979

How workers at the Nymboida coal mine in NSW resisted mass sackings by taking over and running the mine themselves in 1975. firstly through an occupation and then via union ownership.

Three people at a table outside with white tablecloth that has word BlackRock on it. The people are eating fake money. A banner in the background says When the last tree is dead, the last fish is caught and the last river is poisoned, you will realise that you cannot eat money. The woman seated on the left wears a sign on her chest that reads BlackRock is the real enemy.

“You can’t eat money”: An interview with Extinction Rebellion activist Jo Flanagan

Interview with an Extinction Rebellion activist about a protest against BlackRock in 2019. She explains how the action was conceptualised, organised & run.

a peace dove in the colours of the Ukranian flag

Perspectives on Ukrainian Civil Resistance

The following articles include opinion pieces on the current situation in Ukraine, the case for nonviolent civil resistance, information about the successful nonviolent Orange Revolution of 2014, and ways to keep up to date on the unfolding war.