Just protest now - call to action

No one needs permission to organize a protest. If you think it's a good idea to have a rally in your community or neighborhood, then you should. If you wanted to picket your MHA's office, then you should. If you want to write an editorial for the news or call into open line, you should. Make a sign or a banner, write the script for a protest play. There are many ways to take action, and a culture of protest emerges when people take it on themselves to just go ahead and act, feeling compelled to do so right now.

This is not to say protest actions should be impulsive -- on the contrary they need to be thought out -- but just to say that it's really up to you to take the lead and get the ball rolling if you want to effect change. Even seemingly small actions can have a big impact (putting up posters around your town, for example). There have been many protests in the last couple years we have written about on this page. If you browse through our content and the link list, you'll see lots of other ideas for protests as well. These range from occupation of public space, marches and rallies, to grassroots food-sharing kitchens, to culture jamming, and beyond. Protesting is about getting creative and thinking about what sort of action works to best convey your message.



After you hold your protest, someone will inevitably say it was a flop. Someone will nit-pick about details of how many people showed up or say your poster used language that was aggressive or over the top. Someone will say you don't have a clear demand and that you offer no alternatives. There is a whole kitchen sink full of things people say to diminish the significance of protest. Do not pay any attention to this BS. Those who do nothing are the first to denigrate those who act. For this reason it is important to show support for other activists as well, just as they will show support to you. We don't have to agree on all the issues or even on how to go about protesting, but the activist recognizes that everyone has a legitimate right to protest -- the bedrock of solidarity. Never let the naysayers dictate what you consider success. If your protest can activate even one person, if your protest does nothing more than show solidarity to another group, that is success.

These are trying times for the people of the province. Evidence of the failure of the current government and our political system becomes clearer every day. The question is certainly not whether people are angry about the reckless mismanagement of the province, but if they are able to do anything about it. To do nothing is to embolden this sort of behavior. To do nothing is to dishonor those who have come before us and condemn those who will inherit this place. Protest at such times is a responsibility, a civic duty, something no one needs permission to do. If you are waiting for someone else to lead the way it will never happen...

...the time is now...



...the activist is you...