Fridays for Future Marshal Training

Source: My personal notes from Global Days of Action with Fridays for Future 2021-2022

COVID Safety

• Masks: All participants must wear masks, including marshals
  • Follow public health mask guidelines (see presentation for more details)
• Physical distancing:
  • Rally to be physically distanced in rally/march
  • March is to keep people moving securely
  • Volunteers will enforce distancing, masking
• Physical Health:
  • Encourage sanitizer, respiratory hygiene, avoid touching face

A marshals role at a demonstration, action or event

• To help facilitate the action as planned; In this case to direct protestors to the allotted area of Queen’s Park and to surround the perimeter of the march in order to guide it safely
  • Keep people safe, safe from traffic, other people
• To transmit information as needed between planners and demonstrators. Chant sheets will be given to participants.
• To act as a buffer between demonstrators and police, hecklers, bystanders
• To help demonstrators be safe, feel good, and to be comfortable participating
• Marshal roles:
  • Head - lead
  • Accessibility - assist those who need help
  • Stage - protect stage equipment and surround stage during rally
  • Point - radios, relay information
  • Family - assist children, parents, caretakers
  • General - help lead marshal
• Marshals role
  • Pre-event set up
  • Event: Direct participants, accessibility assistance, marshals tent for lost children/lost issues, refer media to spokespeople
• Marshals around the perimeter of march
• Leapfrogging - groups of marshals moving ahead of the march to close off intersections as we go by. Only necessary if police haven’t closed them off for us.
• Anticipate few 1000 people

Stuff to Bring

• Whistle
• Gloves
• Water bottle
• Hand sanitizer
• Safety vest
• Mask x 3
• Sunglasses + sunscreen
• Wrist protection
• If able: face shield, megaphones
• Zello - phone app for communication between marshals

What marshals don’t do

• Control protestors
• Get physical/confrontational, Lose control of emotions
• Police
  • Required by law in any demonstration/protest
  • They protect property and public safety and may only be called upon in emergencies
  • Police are not to interfere with protestors. They may make community uncomfortable. Marshals can act as buffers between protest and others.

What can go wrong?

• Counter protestors / hecklers
  • Form a line separating them from event
• Aggressive or confrontational individuals
• Medical Emergency or injury to protestor. Health trained professionals are available.
• Violence
• Plans may change due to external circumstance like weather

Potential situations:

• Crowd overflow into streets
• Medical emergencies
• Group of confrontational people
• Hazards like construction, traffic, weather - No fire, no wire, no gas, no glass, no drugs, no thugs

Peacemaking and de-escalation

LEEN Conflict Resolution

• Listen: Can you help me understand why you are upset/ how you see the situation?
• Empathize:“That is understandable, I can see why you are upset/ I can see how you see it that way.
• Explain: The reason we wanted to do this was because…/ Let me explain how I see things.
• Negotiate: Let’s agree on a path forward.

Key Points

• Keep your cool
• Mindfulness, avoid emotional outbursts
• Don’t assume people are being difficult, people are often confrontational due to personal issues
• As always, if you feel out of your depth call the Head Marshal, and if there is a serious and imminent threat of violence you may call the police, but only as a last resort.

Stance, Partners, and Cameras

• Stance — At a right angle to the person. Keep open body language - avoid crossing your arms, or having your body faced away from the protestor
• Partners — If you need to involve your partner please do so, and if you see your partner needs assistance please be there for them
• Camera — record any aggressive confrontations or any confrontations where you feel threatened or scared.
  • Confrontational media may be present with cameras, be aware

Scenario and Solutions

Scenario #1

A volunteer has called you over to deal with a protestor who flat-out refuses to wear a mask, wants to smoke in the crowd and is getting aggravated. What do you do?

Listen - Kindly ask the protestor why they’re upset, let them explain how they see it

Empathize - “I see why you feel that way”

Explain - Kind but firm. “We’re trying to preserve the health and safety of attendees. Public Health regulates that we need everyone to wear a mask, otherwise this protest can’t happen.”

Negotiate - “If you would like, we can lead you to a spot away from the crowd, where you can smoke and take a mask break.”

Scenario #2

A group of loud, angry counter-protestors have gathered beside the march. They are trying to interfere with the marchers. What do you do?

Form a line between the marchers and the counter-protestors, facing the counter-protestors.

Gently, but in no uncertain terms, remind the counter—protestors that each group has a democratic right to protest uninhibited by the other. They can counter-protest but they cannot interfere with the marchers in any way. Express a desire to keep things peaceful and agree on a path forward.

Do not attempt to debate with the counter-protestors; this is neither the time nor the place.