I have been getting questions lately from allies about what to do during and immediately after an arrest at a demonstration. These protocols, meant to serve as a quick guide, are best practices for responding to arrest of demonstrators. They should be applied based on the particular type of demonstration. Some demonstrations are not “permitted” and  involve civil disobedience or direct action will have a higher risk of arrest. In addition if an arrest is planned other protocols may have been set up to replace the ones below which will mainly be focused on unintended arrest.

Participation in demos may vary and the circumstances of an arrest will also. Therefore, use these protocols as a guide and make adjustments based on how organized the contingent is, how much time there is from the calling of the demo to the actual demo, and whether members are attending as an official contingent of…