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PROTEST STRATEGY
INFORMATION, ADVICE, & IDEAS FOR PUTTING ON AN EFFECTIVE ANTI- SEAL HUNT PROTEST/ EVENT
Here are some ideas, information, and advice for helping protest leaders around the world in organizing powerful and effective anti-seal hunt events.

PROTEST STRATEGY BASICS | CHOOSING A LOCATION | SHOULD YOU ALERT THE LOCATION PRIOR TO THE EVENT?
MOBILIZING FRIENDS & MEDIA | DEALING WITH MEDIA | USING PROPS & SIGNS | THE PETITION
DOCUMENTING THE EVENT | TIPS, HINTS, & MORE | AFTER THE EVENT

PROTEST STRATEGY BASICS:
There are many different approaches to organizing and staging an effective protest. This page has information from a diverse variety of sources blended with what WE feel is the best way to approach this type of event.

Any groups or individuals WHO WANT TO COMMENT ON ANY OF THIS INFORMATION, ADD TO IT, CRITIQUE IT, ETC, ARE WELCOME TO DO THIS. We can all benefit from different points of view.

CONSIDER THE GOALS:
When organizing a demonstration to end the seal massacres, consider the goals:

1) To get as much media coverage as possible.

2) To reach as many seafood consumers with leaflets about the Canadian seafood boycott as possible.
(or, if you're one of those organizations not pushing the boycott, to at least get people to sign the petition to the government.)

3) To reach as many passersby with the basic message: Save the seals; boycott Canadian seafood. (or, if you're one of those organizations not pushing the boycott, to at least get people to sign the petition to the government.)

To achieve these goals, here are some ideas:

CHOOSING A LOCATION:
 Find a location that is easily accessible to reporters and protesters (or one full of seafood consumers) on the day and time of the event. Consider traffic issues and work schedules. Although most protests are being held on March 15th for symbolic reasons (opening day of the hunt), you don't have to hold the event on the 15th. Better to have 50 people show up at an event on March 13th than 5 on the 15th.

You don't have to hold the event at a Canadian consulate/embassy. This may not be the best place to reach the target audience (in our opinion, the best targets are seafood consumers.) In fact, there may not be much foot traffic there at all.

Other excellent locations for demonstrations are Red Lobster and major supermarkets that sell Canadian seafood. Most supermarkets do. You can check the list of Canadian seafood brands and companies at Harpseals.org on the boycott page or look in the store for seafood (frozen, canned, and fresh) with a "Product of Canada" label.

SHOULD YOU ALERT THE LOCATION PRIOR TO THE EVENT?
If you're going to be doing your protest at the local Canadian consulate or embassy, giving some kind of notice of the upcoming event BEFORE you get there can be a good idea. If you play it right, or have any news contacts, you may be able to get a NEWS ORGANIZATION out there to cover the story... that would be a good thing for obvious reasons.

If you're going to be putting on an event or protest at your local supermarket of restaurant, it's a different matter. In most cases, we feel this would be a positive thing, but not in all cases (due to private property issues). There is some debate about this question, but ultimately the choice will have to be made at your own discretion.

MOBILIZING FRIENDS & MEDIA:
 Call all the potential protesters you know well before the event and continue to remind them as we get closer to the date. Mobilize as many people as you know. Ask your family, friends, fellow activists, and local animal welfare groups to join in! Harpseals.org, working in conjunction with the Sea Shepherd staff and volunteers will contact all our members and supporters in your area. To do this, use any and all methods. (Emailing is fine, but phone calls are better.)

FYI: You can get more people to come out and also educate more consumers by leafletting and tabling on a small scale as much as possible before the big protest day. Be sure to get names, phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses of anyone interested in helping the seals and keep a donation can with you, too.

Interested people can make tax-deductible donations to Harpseals.org and to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Please mail us both the list of contacts and the donations.

If you can, ALERT THE MEDIA IN YOUR AREA. Contact reporters from all the local t.v. and radio stations and newspapers in your area well in advance with press releases and phone calls. Include college, high school, weekly, and community newspapers and college radio stations.

DEALING WITH MEDIA:
 Designate one spokesperson to talk to the media. This person should read up on the issues well before the protest. Good resources are harpseals.org, seashepherd.org, hsus.org, ifaw.org, friendsofanimals.org, and the DFO (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/index_e.htm). Try to come up with catchy quotes for the media.

If YOU happen to be interviewed by the media, (and you're not the spokesperson) keep your answers simple. Start out by saying “I’m not a spokesperson for Harpseals.org or the Sea Shepherd – I am here because I care about the seals…” Then use your knowledge to educate them about what is going on. This is another good reason to study the information that we have provided on www.harpseals.org.

If the media try to enter into other subjects, please state that you are not a spokesperson for Harpseals.org or the Sea Shepherd and ask him/ her to contact the office for an interview with Sea Shepherd’s president and founder, Captain Paul Watson, or Ian Robichaud/ Diana Marmorstein, of Harpseals.org...

Follow up, especially with reporters who show interest. Remind them the day before or 2 days before the event.

USING PROPS & SIGNS:
 The media loves strong visual imagery. Unlike other animal protests, however, the organized and large seal hunt protests are something fairly new- with few history proven ideas for props... But that is not to say creativity here isn't urged!

Ideas for willing and creative propmakers include:
• Dress up like a seal! Cover yourself in tomato sauce for dramatics! (Note: If you play this theme out, DON'T have your buddy bring a real hakapik as a prop (to club you) or you will be summarily arrested!)

• See if you can arrange for a DVD of VHS player to show any seal hunt PSA or Video footage. (if we can make available in the toolbox, otherwise, use the Martin Sheen video found on our homepage.)

• Get a mailbox prop and use it to deposit the petitions into. Label it "PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA" in bright red/ black letters!

SIGNS:
 Signs are an effective way to publicize a message. In order to get the point across to as many people as possible, make enough signs beforehand for the expected number of protesters. Try and limit the number of different signs to 3 or 4 different designs. This will help people remember the messages.

Be sure and use captions like: "Stop the Canadian Seal Slaughter!" or "Boybott Canadian Seafood", or "Canada: Stop Killing Seals!", or "End the Subsidized Killing of Seals!" (Of course, it should go without saying, but, no profanity please)
See the samples provided in the Harpseals.org Protest Toolbox. (coming soon)

NOTES: a. No Wooden Sign Holders! (police take them away and arrest you as they look at them as potentially violent weapons.)
b. Banners: If you have the resources, big banners can be very eye-catching.

THE PETITION:
 Print out the pdf in the toolbox and make enough copies so that more than one person can be getting signatures at the same time. It's important to get signatures on the Petition. Encourage as many people as possible to sign the petition. When the protest is over, photocopy all pages and send the original to Harpseals.org. If you are protesting at a consulate, either present your copy to the Canadian officials there on the day of your protest or make an appointment to meet them directly. Try to get a picture of you handing the documents over to an official.

DOCUMENT THE EVENT:
 If you can, either take pictures yourself or make sure that another one of your fellow volunteers will take this job. Photograph good "group" pictures with signs facing the camera. If you can videotape the highlights of the protest, that would be great as well.

TIPS, HINTS, & MORE
Plan to meet beforehand with the other protesters so you are all ready at 11:30 or soon thereafter. Dress for the weather! Bring clipboards, pens, tape, and plastic bags (for the brochures in case it rains!)

Remind everyone to bring water. Wear your Sea Shepherd T-shirt, or, if you are one of the lucky chosen few, your Harpseals.org shirt! Prepare a few simple chants – bullhorns are great for amplifying!

Last but not least, have fun with it! You will most definitely meet new friends and you can feel good knowing that you are helping bring the spotlight on this slaughter. Collectively, we can deliver a powerful message to Canada!

AFTER THE EVENT:
After the event, try and summarize your Protest events in e-mail form; send all photographs/ video; scour your local newspapers for coverage and mail originals (with front page banner) to Harpseals.org or the Sea Shepherd.

Also, please list any names and contact information of people that participated because we would like to make sure we thank them and see if they will join/ support Sea Shepherd or Harpseals.org since they care about seals. If you receive any donations, please send to the office for processing.

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