Use When
Officials push through opaque, no-bid contracts or public–private surveillance deals.
Authorities restrict public comment, move meetings online without notice, or shorten speaking time.
Police use lethal force against protesters.
Instructions
- 1
Draft a headline with one clear call to action with a short link or quick response code.
- 2
Co-design the layout with people directly affected to ensure language, imagery, and accessibility work for them.
- 3
Check local posting rules and prioritize permissioned boards and supportive businesses.
- 4
Locate posters around bus stops, markets, campuses, clinics, and faith centers.
- 5
Print affordable, high-contrast posters in several sizes.
- 6
Train volunteers on respectful interactions, documentation, and basic de-escalation.
- 7
Photograph posters in place and share them online, tagging media and partners.
Historic Parallels
- Paris, 1968, student posters unified 10 million strikers, bypassing state media to win a major wage hike.
- Gdańsk, 1980, shipyard posters broke a media blackout, informing the public and winning independent trade union rights.
- Hong Kong, 2014, crowdsourced "Lennon Walls" sustained a 79-day protest and forced global media coverage of electoral crises.
Paris, 1968, student posters unified 10 million strikers, bypassing state media to win a major wage hike.Modern Examples
- Posters use icons and links to expose companies benefiting from rushed, secretive infrastructure deals.
- Tenants create multilingual posters for laundromats, churches, and clinics that explain illegal rent hikes.
- Students design posters mapping campus censorship, linking to petitions, teach-ins, and encrypted reporting forms.
Participants
Individual
Yes
3–5 people coordinating design, legal review, and mapping, plus 10–20 volunteers for printing, distribution, weekly refresh, and follow-up outreach at key locations.
Helpful Materials
- Weather-resistant posters
- Clipboards
- Markers
- Reflective vests
- Flashlights
- Headlamps
References
- Gene Sharp, The Methods of Nonviolent Action, 1973.
- Beautiful Trouble, Wheatpasting and Postering Guide, 2021.
- International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, Civil Resistance Tactics in the 21st Century, 2021.
- American Civil Liberties Union, Know Your Rights: Protesters, 2024
- International Federation for Human Rights, Freedom of Expression and Peaceful Assembly Toolkit, 2020
Use of Action Playbook educational materials must adhere with Unruled Masses’ Terms of Service.
Stay Nonviolent. Coordinate Strategically. Take Back Your Power.