Use When
Health workers maintain care but refuse to supply patient lists for policing or persecution.
Bank and financial‑technology staff continue routine service yet decline informal freeze requests lacking lawful basis.
Telecom and information‑technology administrators keep networks running but refuse to build or enable mass metadata retention.
Instructions
- 1
Define legal and ethical boundaries by role, professional codes, and due-process requirements.
- 2
Create scripts requesting written legal bases and signed orders for all directives.
- 3
Form a discreet group with trusted colleagues, stewards, and legal counsel.
- 4
Establish encrypted communication channels and a strict protocol for documenting interactions.
- 5
Maintain essential services while escalating suspicious directives to oversight bodies or courts.
- 6
Share vetted, anonymized impact data with reputable media or human rights organizations.
- 7
Organize role rotations and emergency funds to sustain refusals without public harm.
- 8
Implement mutual-aid and well-being support to maintain the coalition’s long-term resilience.
Historic Parallels
- Denmark, 1943–1945, civil servants continued services but refused to enforce anti‑Jewish decrees, hindering deportations and preserving administration.
- South Africa, 1985–1990, professionals maintained public services while quietly refusing pass‑law enforcement, reducing harms and exposing apartheid’s illegitimacy.
- Myanmar, 2021, hospital teams kept emergency care but withheld patient data from security forces, protecting victims and signaling regime abuse.
Denmark, 1943–1945, civil servants continued services but refused to enforce anti‑Jewish decrees, hindering deportations and preserving administration.Modern Examples
- Civil registry teams process births and deaths while denying bulk data exports to security agencies without transparent oversight.
- Public media workers publish daily news but reject extralegal takedown requests and post a transparency log of government demands.
- Teachers and exam officers deliver core instruction yet decline loyalty pledges or ideological screening and file conscientious‑objection memos.
Participants
Individual
Yes
5–12 (legal lead, union liaison, documentation officer, communications contact, digital‑security lead, well‑being coordinator, plus role‑specific peers).
Helpful Materials
- Pocket card with refusal script and due‑process checklist
- Copies of professional codes and data‑protection laws
- Contact list for legal aid and union stewards
- Incident‑report templates
- Whistleblower safety guide
References
- International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, Civil Resistance Tactics in the 21st Century, 2021
- Gene Sharp, The Politics of Nonviolent Action, 1973
- Access Now, A Guide to Government Takedown Requests, 2021
- World Medical Association, International Code of Medical Ethics, 2022
- ARTICLE 19, The Johannesburg Principles on National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, 1996
- UN OHCHR, ICCPR—General Comment No. 37 on the Right of Peaceful Assembly, 2020
Use of Action Playbook educational materials must adhere with Unruled Masses’ Terms of Service.
Stay Nonviolent. Coordinate Strategically. Take Back Your Power.