Communications Guidance for Movements & Civil Society in Times of Increased Repression

This guidance is for movements and civil society organizations for anticipating and communicating around threats to freedom of assembly.

INTRODUCTION

Authoritarians, in their quest to consolidate power and suppress dissent, may attempt to frame largely peaceful democratic protests as chaotic and threatening in order to justify expanded state power and state violence in the name of restoring “safety and security.” This cycle of escalation follows a pattern:  

1. Manufacture crisis or exploit incident
2. Provoke outrage
3. Use the reaction to justify repression

Knowing this, movement leaders should take particular care to counteract these narratives, ensuring their demonstrations are peaceful and joyful, and represented as such—mindful to not play into authoritarians’ attempts to portray them as a threat.

MESSAGING CONSIDERATIONS

The overlapping goals of democracy movements in the face of these challenges include: 1) proactively preventing the distortion of protests/demonstrations; 2) building broad public support for collective action by communicating its nonviolent motivations and aspirations; 3) preparing to respond to provocations in ways that do not repeat or reinforce harmful narratives; and 4) preparing to condemn violence, should it occur, and provide clear, nonviolent alternatives to action.

Specifically, what this might look like in your messaging is: 

• Activating shared identities and values: Showcase the diverse identities of those participating in your demonstration and the shared values they are uniting around, so everyone can see themselves in your movement. Tell the stories behind why they are participating, helping the public see not just “protestors” but fellow neighbors in their full and complex humanity.    
• Affirming your commitment: Reinforce your and your movement’s commitment to nonviolence, to addressing underlying grievances where relevant, and to core democratic values and processes (e.g., ensuring that everyone is able to gather for peaceful protest, safely vote, or express concerns).

• Unequivocally denouncing violence: Be clear in denouncing any violence that has occurred. Speak out to prevent retaliatory violence, which could spur further government crackdowns. Lift up condemnations from other voices, especially from any "surprise speakers" you might not expect to be speaking out on this issue.
• Using specific and precise language to describe any incidents. Often, violence at protests gets conflated with the protests and protesters themselves. If any incidents occur, respond with measured descriptions about what took place and the specific actions that were unlawful (and why), coupled with clear plans of action. Remember, for some groups, creating or even simply portraying chaos is the goal. Responses should consider:

• Was one or a small number of individuals violent at a protest? Do we know yet if they were affiliated with the protest or any other group or counter-protest? Was law enforcement involved, and if so did they use force?
• If not one person, was it a specific number of protesters and counter-protesters who clashed in the context of a larger protest?
• Do we know if violence was committed by a known member or members of a hate group who had shown up at the protest? If so, proceed with caution: It is important to attribute organized acts of violence to extremist groups, especially if they are claiming the violence was “unintentional,” or “just got out of hand.” However, avoid giving fringe or extremist groups a platform by repeating their messages, naming their leadership, or linking to/quoting their materials. Look to credible third-party researchers and organizations for examples of language you can use to describe these groups, their motivations, and their ideologies, rather than relying on that group’s self-description.

• Rejecting calls to crack down on political rights and freedoms: Ensure that any violence that has occurred is not being exploited to justify authoritarian responses that undermine our rights and freedoms and/or state repression.
• Demonstrating the political motivations behind false narratives: Expose political tactics and manipulation for what they are.

Equally as important is what to avoid:

• Don’t use violent, vilifying, or dehumanizing language, even when talking about an opponent. This undermines the core tenets of what we are striving for: human rights and dignity. It also gives authoritarians a way to justify the use of force and lack of accountability (such as federal agents hiding behind masks) because they can claim they are the ones under threat.
• Don’t use alarmist language. Avoid language that activates fear and reduces a sense of agency, such as natural disaster, war, or disease metaphors. For instance, avoid sayings like “violence erupted,” or “protestors flooded the streets.”
• Don’t use defeatist language. Do not make violence, repression, or authoritarian responses seem inevitable. Remind people of our collective power and foster a sense of agency and resilience.
• Don’t make violence seem more widespread than it is. Doing so risks spreading fear and panic, normalizing violence, discouraging people from exercising their rights, sparking cycles of violence, and celebrating or amplifying the impact of otherwise fringe groups. Instead, be very specific about the violence that occurred and its exact scope.
• Don’t speculate: Avoid repeating unfounded or speculative claims. Authoritarians are attempting to sow mistrust so it’s more important than ever to verify the information we receive.
• Don’t ignore or write off concerns about safety. Doing so can backfire and erode your credibility.

SAMPLE MESSAGES

Authoritarians are waiting for any opportunity to divide us—we won’t give them that chance

Authoritarian political actors are waiting for any opportunity to write off our peaceful, grassroots movement as violent or dangerous. We won’t give them that chance. We will stay united, joyful, and committed to nonviolence. While authoritarians create chaos, confusion, and distrust to persuade people to give them more power in the name of ‘security’, we will do the opposite. We will commit to building safe communities by being open, welcoming, and embracing the power and potential of diverse people coming together to solve real problems.

Authoritarianism is weakness masquerading as strength

We are being targeted because those in power feel threatened. There is nothing scarier to self-serving politicians than people coming together and demonstrating their collective power. Real governing power rests on legitimacy and consent. Those that deploy force at the first sign of dissent do not believe they can wield power short of coercion and open threats of violence. Strong, confident regimes are not in the habit of meeting protests with military force. These actions show us just how powerful our people’s movement is. So long as we continue, we will create the hopeful, joyful America of our dreams.  

We won’t fall for manufactured chaos and manipulation

Politicians are increasingly attempting to stoke fear and make the public feel constantly under threat so people will gravitate toward their “solutions.” These tactics are straight out of the authoritarian playbook used around the globe: manufacturing an emergency to suspend our rights and freedoms while increasing their own power. We won’t fall for it. The vast majority of us see through this cheap political manipulation. We hold firm to our belief in democratic values, and that everyone being welcome to fully participate in and shape public life is what makes our country strong.  

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

• Dos and Don’ts for Communicating in Response to Violence by Over Zero
• Messaging Guidance for Responding to Violence at a Protest by Over Zero
• Messaging Guidance for Responding to Civil Unrest by Over Zero 
• Guidance on Covering Violence at a Protest or Demonstration for the Media by Over Zero, Protect Democracy, and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection
• Protect Democracy’s Authoritarian Playbook
• Guidance on Protests and Public Safety from the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP)