I've never done this, so I'm not really sure what to expect. I won't know anyone but it's organized by my local PSL chapter so I assume they will be welcoming. Can anyone give any advice?

  • Maoo [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago
    • Use only cash.
    • Touch base with organizers early and use a buddy system. Find someone that will be your check-in buddy. Have a plan for where to meet if you get separated and no dispersal point is available or has been announced.
    • Put your phone in airplane mode and then turn it off (hope is that if you do turn it on, it will boot in airplane mode). Your phone is a tracking device uniquely identifiable to you. It will reveal your location just sitting in your pocket doing nothing. ISPs routinely provide data to cops without a warrant.
    • Wear a mask any time related to an action.
    • Bring nondescript clothes so you can blend in during actions. Make those clothes something you can wear comfortably for long periods and can run in if necessary.
    • Bring bottles of water in a backpack just in case. Good for drinking, good for teargas.
    • If there's a decent chance of conflict with riot cops, consider bringing a helmet and ballistic eye protection.
    • If you have the option, have a plan for bail. Memorize the number of someone that can pay your bail. Talk to organizers about their bail plan.
    • If there are confrontation, either deescalate or remove yourself from the area. If you don't have any deescalation training, try to get some, it's very helpful.
    • Share this info with others.
    • Don't get too worried if you can't do some of the things I mentioned perfectly. The goal is to decrease your tracking footprint, you won't be able to eliminate it. The phone, mask, and clothing recs are the most important.

    Do not expect anyone else to be this serious about infosec. Western leftists aren't ready for the violence, they still haven't learned the lessons that will be taught by the state over the next few decades. As such, you'll need to be proactive around certain things, especially not using your phone. Folks will try to do all of their coordination using their smartphones day-of and on-site and think that using Signal without disappearing messages and with a FaceID phone is enough (lol). You'll want to work around this by having solid location and time info for all actions. A backup option if you need to use your phone for the internet is to use WiFi in airplane mode. You can actually still be location-tracked this way but it's harder.

    Eventually you may want to get a dedicated no-SIM security phone that's only good for WiFi, like with Calyx and some alternative way to use Signal. But that takes a lot of work and is more of a "next time" kind of thing.

    Most likely you'll be in a pretty uneventful set of protests where the most action comes from Zionist fascist (but I repeat myself) agitators trying to get social media of angry people and to goad people into throwing a punch and getting arrested. If the organizers run good security you won't have to worry about this.

    Solidarity!

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      goad people into throwing a punch and getting arrested.

      Oh yeah, this is good advice. Remember anyone trying to piss you off is doing it because they aren't shit unless you throw the first punch. Just laugh at them. Don't engage with their arguments, don't try to convince them or anything. They're not interested. I like to make fun of their clothes, or be achingly polite and talk to them about things that are totally unrelated. Makes them look foolish and it's confusing

      . Help your comrades if it looks like they're getting close to letting their anger get to them. Having a calming voice can help people step back. Be sympathetic - I try to remind people that beating this one guy up might feel good, but it's not going to help the cause. I also tell people that if they get arrested they won't be able to help their comrades. The emphasis is not "You're causing a problem" but rather "Bro we need you out here so you can help people. We need your passion and drive, and you can do the most good on the outside." Appealing to people's desire to help and defend their comrades can help them get some perspective and cool down.

      I find a lot of the time it's better to mock the enemy and make them look foolish instead of engaging with them. If your team is jeering at them and making fun of them it's easier to stay cool and not get goaded in to a fight the fash can use for propaganda value.

      That said, if you have to fight, fight.

      • daisy
        ·
        1 year ago

        or be achingly polite and talk to them about things that are totally unrelated. Makes them look foolish and it's confusing

        This sounds like a good opportunity to discuss Marxist thought in the public realm.