Q: I have an event that I think religious protesters are going to show up at. What should I do?

A: If you live in Southern Oregon, reach out to us and see if we can be there to help. If not, here’s some tips.

  • -If possible, try to create visual barriers around your event so protesters can’t see in easily and record people, and so your attendees don’t have to see or hear the protesters as much.

    For example, if your event has food trucks, place them around the perimeter to create a barrier. This has the added benefit of being a physical barrier so vehicles can’t drive into the event and harm people.

    Cars can work for all these purposes as well.

  • -See if there’s another place people can enter/exit the event that isn’t as easy for the protesters to target.

  • -Create a team of people designated with engaging with/distracting protesters from event attendees. Talking to the protesters and getting them focused on the conversation with you draws their attention away from others, and sometimes gets them to turn off their amplification.

  • -When engaging with protesters, make them think you’re genuinely interested in what they have to say and that they might be able to convince you of their view point. This will keep them talking and focused on you.

  • Religious protesters come to events and harass people because they believe they are espousing the righteous word of god. And they expect to be taken seriously because of it.

    So… don’t take them seriously.

    If trying to distract them with conversation doesn’t work, it’s time for the much more entertaining option, absurdity!

    Break out those noise makers, kazoos, drums, cowbells, etc. and annoy the shit out of them (keep in mind local sound ordinances if you care about that sort of thing).

    Ask them questions they can’t answer such as:
    ”if the [insert non-specific holy book] is the one true word of god, why does Junie B. Jones speak to me?”

    or
    ”What is consent?”
    (they never seem to get that one right)

  • -Tell the protesters they are not welcome to come into your event and get this on video.

    -Tell them what things on your event’s code of conduct (if you have one) they would be violating (due to their specific actions, not their religion) if they come into your event, and get this on video.

    -Make sure your event’s code of conduct is placed at any entrances and is easily visible. Get pictures of this.

    These steps are not going to stop the protesters from trying to enter the event, as they will do it regardless of what you say to them. They are to ensure that if the protesters try to come into your event and legal action needs to be taken later on, everything is documented and you have proof that the protesters were aware they were not allowed in.

  • -If protesters are recording and/or livestreaming event attendees, play copyrighted music (Disney music works well) near them. This often gets their livestreams taken down and makes the audio from their videos unusable. Preventing them from getting content and showing event attendees faces online.

  • Use things like umbrellas, flags, signs, or just your body to stop protesters from recording people.

Q: I want to get involved but I don’t live in Oregon/the Rogue Valley. What can I do?

A: If you want to support us directly but can’t be here physically, the most helpful thing is donations.

But if you are wanting to do this kind of work where you live, reach out to us! We’re happy to give you advice on how we got started and effective tactics! We also offer a safety training to people interested in activism and dealing with religious extremists.