Topic

Nonviolent Direct Action

Strategic nonviolence is a rich tradition within social change movements, generating theoretical exploration, research, different group formations and tactical innovation. In this topic you’ll find case studies, manuals, inspiring quotes, training materials, and practical how-to-guides.

Why campaigns, not protests, get the goods

George Lakey says it’s time to retire one-off protests in favour of direct action campaigns to maximize the chance of winning victories.

A legal observer in a bright pink vest stands to one side, watching activists holding anti-racist placards. Police on horseback are behind the observer.

Staying Safe: Protective Strategies for Activists

It’s important to know how to stay safe as an activist and human rights defender (HRDs). These tips are from Melbourne Activist Legal Support.

A group of friends stand with arms around each other looking out across a valley.

Check list for affinity groups

Checklist for affinity groups – looking out for each other and yourself when participating in a blockade or protest.

Four people stand outside the Melbourne Magistrates Court. They are smiling and holding photos of forests.

What is this thing called Activist Legal Support?

Planning good activist legal support builds movement resilience and should be part of campaign planning. A good legal support structure for groups engaging in protests that could be arrestable includes having legal support team, legal info, arrest & court support.

Photograph of the S11 protest in melbourne. Signs with black oil drums saying toxic waste

Carnival at Crown Casino S11 as Party and Protest

An exploration of the fun and pleasurable dimensions of the S11 anti-globalisation protests in Melbourne in 2000.

police and protestors in stand off at the S11 protests at crown casino in melbourne in 2000

Globalisation unplugged: S11 World Economic Forum Protests

Listen to Globalisation Unplugged, 3CR’s coverage of massive public opposition to the World Economic Forum & globalisation in Melbourne in 2000.

Female highschool walking in protest against inaction on climate change holding painted pandanus mat with words 'stop adani'.

“When the bombs drop, school stops” – Over 100 years of Australian school strikes and direct action

Australia has a long history of students walking out of the classroom to demand change. A timeline of Australian school strikes from the 1930s until 2019.

Enabling Emergence: The Bentley Blockade and the Struggle for a Gasfield Free Northern Rivers

A case study and theoretical examination of nonviolent direct action against fracking in the Northern Rivers Region in Australia.

30 years of Creative Resistance

’30 years of Creative Resistance’ is a compilation of writing and art celebrating the work of Friends of the Earth Australia over the last thirty years.

screenshot of website of The law handbook

Community Activism in Victoria: The right to protest and other legal issues

Know what your legal rights are when participating in a protest/community campaign in Victoria. Source: The Law Handbook from the Fitzroy Legal Service.

screenshot of the first page of Bayard Rustin's organising manual for the march on washington in 1963

Organising Manual for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963

This organizing manual was written by Bayard Rustin & distributed for the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest civil rights rallies in US history.

TED talk: Change the world, join a movement | Adria Goodson | TEDxBeaconStreet

In this TED talk Adria Goodson asks you to join a movement by asking yourself what breaks your heart? Then find your tribe and take action.

TED talk: Fighting with nonviolence

Peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need – as nations and individuals – to fight extreme force without using force in return.

TED talk: The success of nonviolent civil resistance: Erica Chenoweth at TEDxBoulder

Chenoweth’s research of campaigns of nonviolent civil resistance revealed they were twice as successful as violent campaigns.

Dockworkers in Australia, pictured here alongside other trade union members in a march through central Melbourne, acted in solidarity with South African workers in the 1980s. Reuters

Lessons that can be learnt from dockworkers who helped bring apartheid to its knees

Article about the transnational solidarity activism of maritime unions and how the actions of dockworkers in Australia helped drive the local and national anti-apartheid movement.

TED Talk: Courage is Contagious

The “Whose Streets?” documentary tells the story of the protests from the perspective of the activists who showed up to challenge those who use power to spread fear & hate.

TED talk: How the US government spies on people who protest – including you

What’s stopping the American government from recording your phone calls, reading your emails and monitoring your location? Very little, says surveillance and cybersecurity counsel Jennifer Granick.

Effective Action for Social Change: The Campaign to Save the Franklin River

Learn lessons from one of the largest & most successful nonviolent direct action environmental protests in Australian history – the Franklin River campaign.

Large group blocking intersection near Federation Square and Flinders Street Station in Melbourne.

Media Checklist for Actions

A thorough checklist to help you prepare for traditional and social media in the lead up to an action, including some considerations for non-violent direct actions. Download as a handy printable pdf from the box at the bottom of this page.

Quote in white box with big blue speech mark at the top. At yellow and orange background. The text reads - .'Nonviolence is a very powerful weapon. Most people don't understand the power of nonviolence and tend to be amazed by the whole idea. Those who have been involved in bringing about change and see the difference between violence and nonviolence are firmly committed to a lifetime of nonviolence, not because it is easy or because it is cowardly, but because it is an effective and very powerful way. - Cesar Chavez'.

A Collection of Nonviolence Quotes

A collection of quotes to be used as part of training on strategic nonviolence and nonviolent direct action.