Safety
Here’s the good news! Regardless of what you may hear in the news, people in the UK do still have a legal right to protest and the police have a duty to facilitate protest.
The Big One is a legal protest and lots of people have been working on making it as safe as possible.
There will be hundreds of stewards, wellbeing volunteers and first aiders to answer any of your questions and help you out if you’re unwell.
XRUK are in contact with the Metropolitan Police and local authorities to support the respectful facilitation of the protest.
Do you want to find out more about how you can stay safe at The Big One? Let Kathy Burke and Chizzy Akudolu give you four top tips for staying safe at a protest.
UNITY AGREEMENT
The Unity Agreement is an invitation to all participants at The Big One to act in a way that promotes respect, love, and safety for all who attend.
It aims to create a safe space where people from all walks of life can come together and connect and is a powerful tool to help foster a sense of unity and belonging which enables everyone to contribute to the co-creation of a more compassionate and equitable world.
If we all can agree to honouring basic principles of safe and inclusive participation then we can make The Big One safer for everyone.
Everyone is asked to follow our basic agreement. It provides a basis for trust so we and the public know what we can expect of each other.
- We show utmost respect to everyone at the Big One, including participants, organisers and allies.
- We celebrate unity and we honour this intention in our actions.
- We are mindful that protest is less safe for many people including people of colour, people with disabilities, parents and carers.
- We undertake not to escalate the protest and increase the risk in a way which other people haven’t consented to.
- We do not bring or consume alcohol or illegal drugs.
- We uphold the principle of non-violence in all our words and deeds.
- We take responsibility for ourselves and we hold ourselves accountable for our actions.
MORE RESOURCES
For further detailed information, check out the Know Your Rights Training video.
Keep me handy – a print at home ‘bust card’ PDF with details of protest lawyers.
A longer presentation of your protesting rights.
You can find more information about protest rights on Informed Dissent.
How to witness an arrest.
How to witness a stop and search.