Guide to Safety in the Uprising

Unite with people in your neighborhood. Each neighborhood should act as a group, but must always be ready to assist others in the area. Be on guard with as many people as possible.

  • Ask trustworthy members of the army to help reinforce your groups by adding soldiers to each of them — or keep in contact with one of your members designated for the purpose.
  • Do not let children outside unless you are certain that it is safe and do not let children leave your sight at any point.

Personal Safety

  • Stay in a place where you can see and be seen by your group.
  • Never be alone. Groups within local communities must stay together for enhanced protection.
  • Tell others what you are doing and share your intentions with them — organize and maintain contact with other neighborhoods.

Family Safety

  • Have a plan! A meeting place and some sort of escape route should be prepared in case of emergency.
  • Remain calm and focused. Remember to eat and sleep when you need to.
  • Stay away from gunfire and sounds of violence. Investigate indirectly when possible; ask around for information rather than trying to acquire it yourself.
  • Help whom you can but do not endanger yourself and your family.

Don't forget the basics

  • Get enough sleep.
  • Be careful to stay hydrated. Drink 3 liters of water a day if you can.
  • Avoid heavy meals during active times. Heavy meals are difficult to digest and slow you down. Nuts, fruits, and dates are good.
  • When you have a few hours of downtime, eat a healthy balanced meal and rest.
  • Minimize caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs. They stress your system and decrease your reaction time, making you more vulnerable.
  • Relax, focus, pray. If you have something you use to relax yourself (like music or quiet meditation) consider doing this the days leading up to and on the days you plan to participate in the uprising.

Fortifications

  • Find and collect fire extinguishers and fire blankets. Make sure everyone knows where they are kept. Do not steal fire fighting equipment from populated locations.
  • Establish barriers and maintain watch of all entrances to the area where you are staying. Form a team with individuals you trust and create a barrier of flat visible ground.
  • Make a barrier of cars on surrounding streets. Always have a vehicle ready in case someone needs medical attention. Refrigerators, washing machines, and other heavy equipment are also useful components of such barriers. A secondary barrier of flammable materials may be used if needed.
  • Organize a shift system to keep watch.
    • People keeping watch may want to wear a white armband so military can distinguish you — Be visible.
    • Write down license plate numbers and other vehicle info in case of suspicious activity. Other information that can be useful includes such things as the number of occupants, general ages, genders, etc.
  • Stay calm and never provoke a fight.

Do not get shot

  • Do not trust barriers as protection against gunfire. Fill bags with sand for some additional protection against bullets, but do not trust your life to such things.
  • Do not try to fight men with guns. Avoid them whenever possible. Remain calm and do not make sudden movements in the presence of any armed adversaries.
  • In some uprisings, threatening groups avoid areas where they suspect the possibility of organized and substantial resistance.
  • If in doubt, retreat to another location. Ensure that those you trust all agree on a location in case of a chaotic situation.
  • Do not try to be a hero. Dying in the frantic attempt to save two lives kills three. Try to stay level-headed and analyze situations before acting.

Communications

  • Make noise to alert neighbors to threats. Be sure the neighbors understand what such noises indicate. Fireworks might be confused with gunfire by persons not accustomed to the sound of a gun. Whistle or use a loud instrument to communicate.
  • Make sure your cellphone battery is charged and you have call credits.
    • Trade contact numbers with other groups like yours so that you may support each other with information and protection.
    • Always have emergency phone numbers on hand. Everyone must know what to do in case of problems and where to go (nearest hospital, home of a relative, etc).
  • Report atrocities to international media (after informing neighbors for their protection). If you have web access, you may leave reports at http://yourmedia.aljazeera.net/ or on any Anonymous-run message board. Have someone in your neighborhood who is internet savvy be in charge of further distribution, but only when safety has been regained.

Before you leave home

  • Check the weather and prepare for it.
  • Make sure you know where you plan to sleep. Police and baltagiya (paid thugs) harass and arrest folks with no place to stay. Do not sleep in a place where you are alone.
  • If you can, have a few days free when you get home. You may need time to rest, sleep, and talk to someone about your experiences.
  • Make a plan for if you are arrested. Someone you trust should have important information, including:
    • Who should be contacted if you are arrested.
    • Any medications you may need in jail.
    • Any responsibilities that need to be taken care of if you do not get home as planned (such as children, work, animals, etc).
  • If you have asthma or other breathing problems, chemical weapons may cause a severe attack. Carry your inhaler or avoid tear gas.
  • Consider talking with someone about your hopes, fears, and expectations. By talking through what could happen and how you might respond, you can prepare yourself for difficult situations.
  • Find out as much as you can about the plans for the days you plan to participate (via news, twitter, facebook, etc), but do not rely on this information too much — it may change or it may be based on rumors or misinformation rather than actual plans.
  • Get training in skills and information useful for the revolution: know your rights; staying safe in the uprising; nonviolence; direct action tactics, etc.

Safety away from home

A demonstration where police might attack requires careful awareness to what is happening around you. Here are some suggestions to help you stay safe and effective in the uprising.

  • Police use fear as a weapon. The more you are prepared, the less they can intimidate and control you.
  • Know the layout of the area where you are going. Think ahead about where you will go if there is trouble. Make a plan with your buddy and your group for where you will meet if separated.
  • Know the attitude of the police, military, and baltagiya, and how they might respond to rebels. Pay attention to what they are doing, where they are moving and what equipment they are carrying.
  • Know where you can get medical treatment if any member of your group is injured, and how you plan to get to medical care.

Safety in numbers

  • You are safest and most successful when you are part of a dependable small group of people you trust. Groups combine various skills and strengths. Your group can plan and achieve strategies that are beyond the abilities of individuals. Members of your group can carry out different tasks: act, scout, medical, communicate with others, security, documentation, yet the group is small enough to act quickly.
  • Remain alert and aware of your safety and the safety of people around you.
  • Stay with at least one other person. Do not be alone. Talk with your buddy about how you are feeling, what is likely to cause you stress, and how your buddy can help you stay calm. Plan what you want to do if things get bad. Help your buddy stay safe, and let your buddy help you stay safe.
  • Remember you must try to avoid violence to protect the legitimacy of your movement.

Careful awareness

  • Do not act on rumors. It is common for someone to approach a group of rebels shouting, "The police are shooting people!" These people may simply be panicking, or they may be agents trying to confuse you. Acting on bad information is disruptive at best, and often dangerous. All critical information needs to be verified. If the person conveying information cannot claim to have witnessed something directly, or if he is a stranger, then that information is unreliable. Move slowly and carefully away from rumored dangers.
  • Assume that police may do anything at any time. Acting on rumors can be disruptive and dangerous, but it should never surprise you when the police do blockade, surround, penetrate or break up a demonstration. The key to not being caught off guard is to stay prepared.
  • Do not panic; help others stay calm. Sometimes the situation is frightening. But panic reduces judgment, adapting, and coping abilities; and panic can spread rapidly. Our best defense in a crisis is our collective cool — keeping each other calm and focused. If you cannot stay calm and focused, then you need to go somewhere safe to calm down (remember to bring your buddy). If someone else cannot be calmed down, he needs to go somewhere safe with his buddy.
  • Look outwards from the crowd. If someone is being administered first aid, face away from him. You can form a circle and link arms facing out to protect him.
  • Do not stand still and watch police. Always stay moving. Spot gaps in the crowd and fill them. Stick together. Figure out where police want to go and get there first.
  • Protect your escape routes by standing in front of them. If police block your only exit, look for ways to increase your number. Join up with other groups and absorb stragglers. Everyone has to get out and you will stand a better chance of getting out unharmed, with all your belongings and equipment, if you leave together at the same time.
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License