With the stunning success of February the 10th and the following self-congratulatory period comes, of course, an opportunity for self improvement. With that as justification, I’m going to work on a list of suggestions to be followed for the March in March protest. Comment with ideas and suggestions and I’ll edit them into this post if they’re not ludicrous.

• Do- Print signs. Or stencil them. Or something that requires some pre-meditation and effort. But signs written in pen or thin texta aren’t visible at a distance of more than a few feet. Additionally, the time you put into planning your sign may be what you need to realise that “Fuck $hoentology” may not be exactly the phrase to draw in the public.
• Don’t- Give your signs to members of the public. This was at direct suggestion of the police present on Sunday after they were alerted that those two drunken clownboats weren’t actually with us. It makes it all too easy for troublemakers to cause a disturbance and get away with it.
• Do- Bring recording devices. I’m guilty of ignoring this myself on Sunday, and it really showed, since we ended up missing out documenting one of the most personal confrontations had with a Scilon anywhere in the world. Remember, they’re not just to show the world how awesome we looked, but to protect ourselves.
• Don’t- Make honk signs. It really doesn’t reflect well on us when our police escort has to pull over someone who was just showing support for our cause. A car’s horn is an emergency alert, and abusing it can cause some real trouble. But don’t forget; all we need to do is make our message clear enough, and they’ll honk in support anyway, and no one gets pulled over or told off.
• Do- Work to decide on a clear message. Are we going for removal of their tax exempt status? Are we going to appeal to the buried emotions of the Church members themselves to convince them to quit? Are we just continuing to inform the public of the wrongs perpetrated by the Church? I’m personally garnering my next set of signs towards anti-tax exemption and human rights abuses.
• Don’t- Ignore the other states. Talk to them, go to their IRC channels and keep the momentum rolling! The number one enemy of any internet movement is attention span. We’ve had a major victory, but the war has only just begun. We need them to keep this going as much as we need ourselves.
• Do- Convince those friends that didn’t show up to Feb 10th to come to March 15th! There’s a very good chance that the people that stayed home did so out of fear that only a handful of protesters would actually go out there. This has been quite conclusively proven wrong already. But also try to educate them on what they’re fighting for and help them protect themselves from danger. Most of our power comes from numbers, but knowledge cannot ignored.
• Don’t- Be a martyr. Or a hero. If Scientology’s handlers ever become convinced enough that we are a threat to come out and try to bullbait us, it’s a sign we’re winning. But these people can’t be reasoned with. Don’t try to out-argue them, you’ll just get angry and you’ll be left looking worse for it. On that note, it’s probably worth making a thread for suggestions as to what to do in the event of Scientologist interference.
• Do- Prepare yourself. Read through the list of top twenty questions you’re likely to be asked, and answer them in your own words. At some point, you’re going to have to defend yourself and state why you’re protesting. Do you want to sound like the cheeto-stained neckbeard you are, or the cognac swishing, debonair revolutionary you could be?
• Don’t- fight back, unless you honestly believe you are about to be killed. Even if a fight is started and Anon fights in self defense, the Scientologist propaganda machine will turn it the other round, and you’ll likely face charges for assault.
• Do- Help any anon out who you see being Bullbaited, any of you who are cool under pressure, able to provide logical arguments and do not intimidate easily – step in and help them out. Draw the aggro. [edit] You’re not going to win in this circumstance. The best response as someone being bullbaited is 1) “Don’t feed the trolls” or 2) “Flunk! Please repeat the Auditing Command.”
• Don’t- Allow your anger to get the best of you. If you feel you can’t keep your cool any longer, walk away – although make sure to ask an Anon or two to come with you, safety in numbers.
• Do- Stick to the facts. If asked about your personal life, given personal insults etc, ignore them and stick to the topic at hand
• Do- realize that if they are starting to Bullbait us, it means they feel desperate – so smile a little on the inside.

Categories: March 15 Protest
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