Action Design - How to Design an Action

All you need to know about action design so you can design your own action, deliver the training with slides and training notes.

Action Design - how to design your own action, and deliver a workshop

Here's all you need to design your own action and deliver an Action Design Workshop

Action Design Workshop Slides

Action Design Training (2 trainers for Zoom - 2 hours)

More comprehensive Action Design Training

Action Design Training SLIDE version

Action Design Notes

Regenerative Action Cycle

Diversity & Inclusivity at Actions

XR Principles on Diversity, Inclusivity & Accessibility
Actions

Extinction Rebellion is committed to equality and to enabling people who have been marginalised by systemic oppression to act now and give their message in solidarity.

These guidelines are designed to be practical and manageable and will ensure diversity, inclusivity and accessibility are embedded in action planning and design.

A useful checklist 'Diversity & Inclusivity at Actions' has been written by the Disabled Rebels Network and Protest Liason. This can printed and used when considering your action.

Diversity and inclusivity is important all the time. This process is for action proposals but remember that diversity, accessibility and inclusivity is just as important for the planning meetings as it is for the action itself. For a comprehensive breakdown of considerations, please see XR Principles of Inclusivity

Actions need to be designed to be as inclusive as possible. While total inclusivity is impossible, actions should aim to be inclusive for the widest range of people possible.

Where an action may exclude people, for example climbing Big Ben to drop a banner, there are additional considerations such as necessity and proportionality. However, try not to make assumptions about individuals’ limitations. Think of paralympian James Brown on top of a jet at City Airport.

The larger the action is, the greater the issue of diversity and inclusivity will be. With smaller actions, resources may be limited but the same issues must be considered and those affected should be consulted. If action planners receive requests from representatives of marginalised groups, they should be treated as a priority.

It is accepted that this is a dynamic document and, as Extinction Rebellion grows, more diversity and inclusivity considerations may become apparent and included as we respond to feedback from within and outside XR.

This process splits the actions into two types: inclusive actions; exclusionary actions. The process aims to help action planners consider possible barriers to marginalised groups starting with the process for inclusive actions and finally, on the last page, addressing exclusionary actions.

Actions that aim to be inclusive for all marginalised groups
Inclusive Actions

Covid 19 affects some groups of people disproportionately. The aim of inclusivity in planned actions is threatened if an activity presents (or is seen to present) a greater risk of infection to some groups of people. The following factors significantly increase risk:

Any activity involving a risk of COVID-19 infection presents a greater danger to people in these groups whether as participants or within the wider community. Reducing risk of infection will increase the opportunities for everyone to participate. When designing actions we therefore need to be conscious of the need to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection. Not only will this protect rebels and the wider community, it will also help us optimise the protest and achieve our aim of inclusivity.

Actions which do not respect physical distancing and/or involve risk of arrest present an increased risk of infection of Covid-19.

Disability

Oppression - There is a significant probability that disabled people have experienced discrimination and oppressive behaviour by the police and others. The process of being arrested can be particularly harrowing for those with disabilities who may have to rely on the police for greater support and care whilst in custody. Many, with good reason, will feel excluded if the action is designed to have a high risk of arrest.

Mobility/Accessibility
Hearing impaired
Vision Impaired
Neurodiversity

There is a wide range of considerations for neurodivergent people. Offer help and be directed rather than asking about needs.

Ethnicity

Oppression - There is a significant probability that people of colour have experienced discrimination and oppressive behaviour by the police and others. Many, with good reason, have no confidence in the justice system. If the action is designed to have a high risk of arrest then this will tend to exclude people of colour, LGBTQ+ and disabled rebels.
Covid 19 affects people of colour disproportionately. Actions which do not respect physical distancing and/or involve risk of arrest present an increased risk of infection of Covid 19.

LGBTQ+

There are parallel issues with ethnicity and disability in that there is a significant probability that LGBTQ+ people have experienced discrimination and oppressive behaviour by the police and others. Actions with a high risk of arrest may exclude LGBTQ+ people. https://transequality.org/issues/resources/participating-direct-actions-guide-transgender-people

Families

Families can be marginalised with children and be members of other marginalised groups. The exclusionary issues listed in this process can have a heightened effect on young rebels.

Faiths

Protection of the planet is important to all faiths and it is important to ensure that all feel welcome.

Actions that may exclude marginalised groups (exclusionary actions)

Exclusionary Actions

It is accepted that the nature and requirements of some actions will exclude some rebels from taking part. It is important that this is recognised at the design stage and assessed to ensure that the exclusionary aspect is necessary, has been minimised and is deemed proportionate to the purpose of the action.

XR Principles of Inclusivity

Banner Drop

Art-Blockers-Image.jpg

Banner Drop Briefing

(please read, particularly for banner drops in more inaccessible locations)

Choosing the right location for your banner drop

When selecting the location where you will organize the banner drop, try to find a place that is:-

Think about locations with high footfall and traffic. Banners will be dropped on the Friday morning - perhaps in locations where they may remain up for the week or longer.

Recce your location in advance at the time you wish to install and ensure it is safe to position a banner there.

If planning on installing your banner on a bridge over a road - depending on the type of banner you are using please ensure you have a safer Plan B site in mind if the wind is unsafe at your original location. Don't forget to reinforce all of the mounting holes in the banner fabric to tie your rope / zip ties to. You'd be surprised how easy a banner can rip once it's hung and the wind starts blowing. All it takes is extra stitching or clear duct-tape on the reverse.

If installing on road bridges consider the main direction of the traffic, for example around London, banners could be sited above arriving bound carriageways in the early morning as the public leave enter London for work.

Briefing

Before the action can start, plan how many people you will need to hold / install the banner, and where each of them should stand / access the site. During COVID-19, these people should be in a bubble, and perhaps using their daily exercise to install the banner. Please see legal info below.

Ensure that people are prepared to talk to the police / security / public / press should they arrive and check the government website for guidelines during lockdown in advance of the action day.

Shifts - consider staying besides your banner so it does not get stolen and you can do something if there’s a risk of it being damaged by the wind. Utilise this time for your daily exercise by the banner! Also consider moving your banner to another location to get more than one shot for social media, for instance if you have a site like an incinerator in your area you could do a shoot in front of it and then take your banner to a road bridge. If you have a strong team you can take your banner on a tour and leave it at a site where it gets most public views for an extended amount of time.

Installation

A team of 3 - 4 is best for larger heavier banners. For a 10m mesh banner you will need 5-6 people.
Vinyl banners should be rolled and mesh banners should be rolled from either end to the middle to make a scroll. On a 10m mesh banner you should fix the centre of the banner first and then roll out on both sides, fixing as you go.(see video above).

If installing above a road, wait for a gap in the traffic so that drivers aren’t distracted by the installation. If the location is busy, consider installing very early in the morning. Be aware that wind increases significantly as large trucks pass under the bridge.

Stay beside your banner so it does not get stolen and you can do something if there’s a risk of it being damaged by the wind.
If you’re not 110% sure it will be safe, hang the banner somewhere else.

Use heavy duty plastic zip-ties and install the banner on the inside of the railings ensuring it is attached along the entire length of the top edge (mounting holes should be no more than 50cm apart for vinyl banners and 1m apart for mesh banners.) Wait for a gap in the traffic and flip the banner over. Fix the remaining edges of the banner in place.

Pedestrian footbridges are easier and safer than road bridges (especially if cycling to location).

Knots. If you don’t want to use plastic zip ties, either get someone experienced with climbing or sailing knots or go online and learn a few basic knots such as a figure of 8, bowline and round-turn with two half-hitches. Practice somewhere safe first.

Zip Ties are quicker and easier for novices - ensure they are heavy duty plastic zip-ties (you can get reusable ones).

Safety
Action Wellbeing

As we are in a lockdown we would advise to find a location where the banner can be dropped from and left, without supervision for as long as possible.

If you do have to stay beside your banner, ensure you are following the government COVID guidelines, take your daily exercise one after the other to check on the banner (particularly if there is risk of it being damaged by the wind). Please see the legal section below.

Pack-down

Ensure that you use the same levels of safety when you remove your banner as you did when you installed it. If your banner is installed above a road, wait for a gap in the traffic to remove it - making sure nothing can fall into the road from the bridge.

If creating a banner in your bubble and hanging a banner from a window at home, or a place that has agreed to hang the banner, there should not be any legal consequences of such actions.

This action is not a gathering or event.

We advise activists to consider the legal implications of staying with the banner during lockdown - there is a risk if dropping the banner and leaving it, that police may seek after you later too.

You will most likely receive a fine if caught by police, as well as other potential charges.

In terms of further potential criminal offences that could be committed by people involved in a Banner Drop action, there appear to be two potential ones that the police have used at protests involving banners in the recent past.

The first is:

Section 22A Road Traffic Act 1988 - Causing Danger to Road Users. The relevant part of this piece of legislation is:

(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he intentionally and without lawful authority or reasonable cause -
(a) causes anything to be on or over a road, in such circumstances that it would be obvious to a reasonable person that to do so would be dangerous.

It goes on to define dangerous: “dangerous” refers to danger either of injury to any person while on or near a road, or of serious damage to property on or near a road; and in determining for the purposes of that subsection what would be obvious to a reasonable person in a particular case, regard shall be had not only to the circumstances of which he could be expected to be aware but also to any circumstances shown to have been within the knowledge of the accused.

So, the key here is to make 110% sure that there is no chance of the action being ‘dangerous’. It seems pretty clear that if the banner drop is done safely, as illustrated in the previous sections, there would be no offence committed under this section of the Act. This is an either way offence, so will depend massively on where it is tried (magistrates or crown court). There is a chance of prison time for this (7yrs if tried in crown court).

The second is Criminal Damage:

Criminal Damage is the “deliberate or reckless damage” of property without lawful excuse. The damage does not have to be permanent – people have been accused of this offense after using chalk on paving stones. It includes interfering with property in a manner that causes loss, which could include loss of profit (e.g. by setting off a fire alarm). Defence can often hinge on the ‘lawful excuse’ aspect of this offence. This offence is divided into two: Damage below or above £5,000.

If value of damage is under £5,000 Sentencing starting point: conditional discharge and compensation order (i.e. you may be asked to pay back the costs of cleaning and repair), tried in a Magistrates Court. Maximum sentence: custodial sentence of up to 3 months, £2,500 fine
If value of damage is over £5,000 Sentencing starting point: a suspended sentence* and compensation order, tried in either a Magistrates Court or Crown Court. Maximum sentence when tried in Magistrates Court: £5,000 fine and six month custodial sentence. Maximum sentence when tried in Crown Court: custodial sentence of up to 10 years.

*A suspended prison sentence is the term given to a prison sentence imposed by the court, and then suspended (i.e. ‘delayed’). The court may decide to delay the prison sentence to allow the defendant a period of probation, or to undertake treatment for an addiction, or to meet conditions in the community. If the defendant breaches the terms of the suspended sentence, or commits another offence, they are likely to be sent to prison to serve the original prison term imposed.

Having items with intent to cause Criminal Damage

Activists found on their way to an action with bolt-croppers have been charged with having items with intent to cause Criminal Damage. The most ridiculous arrests we’ve seen for this were for having permanent markers!

The other potential offence is from the old piece of common law legislation - Public Nuisance. Those involved in the Extinction Rebellion October 2019 rebellion will probably remember that this was the legislation the police used to try and disrupt our disruption! Here is a link to an explanation of public nuisance

In simple terms it is an unlawful act which interferes with the lives, comfort, property or common rights of the general public. In practice, it appears to be the fallback legislation that the police use if they can’t think of anything else to use to deal with issues!

Banner droppers should also do some research about their intended location for placing the banner to check whether there are any local byelaws that apply. For example, dropping a banner from a bridge over the river Thames in London would contravene byelaws that apply to the river. There may be similar byelaws in place for particular bridges, so it is best to check.

All those involved with the banner drop are advised to have completed a Know Your Rights training, understand and adhere to the principle of non-violent direct action, and can seek further information and advice through Green and Black Cross

How to do a RECCE

Action Design Space Workshop - How To Do Recces

RECCE is another term for reconnaissance.

At its most basic reconnaissance is preliminary surveying or research.

We try and avoid the term “reconnaissance” due to its military association, Recce is much softer and almost sounds FUN! (rec-reational!)

The success of every action is in the planning and the detail. As Benjamin Franklin said “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail”.

A good recce can make or break an action. A bad recce (or no recce) can potentially put people in danger.

There are three types of recce

Sometimes you need to do Multiple Area Reconnaissance (all 3) - for example the Pink Table required a recce of the junction, a recce of the march route, a recce of the vehicle route and then a recce of the wider area to think about the impact of the occupation. It also required a night time recce to evaluate late night risk - partygoers, proximity to nightclubs, etc.


Why do we recce?

Essentially, a recce is important for us to plan how to execute an effective action. This means we don't want to just turn up on the day and hope for the best!

We want to… Gather information Look out for Problems Check police presence Identify accessibility needs Make a decision about going or not going! Help identify plan B or C Ensure safety Most importantly, to ensure success!

Sometimes seeing a location in the flesh will help trigger more ideas. It’s sometimes easier to visualize the action once you’re in the space, you have a better sense of scale.

Important note – every action needs a recce (of sorts).


Before the recce

Determine what kind of recce you need to do…

Check the location via Google Maps and Google Streetview to get a feel for it.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING A VPN WHEN USING GOOGLE!

Be security conscious
Use paper maps

Advantages

Disadvantages

Download an offline map app like Guru maps that allows you to drop pins and make notes on exact locations. Guru maps stores information locally on your phone and not in the cloud (unless you want it to).

Download What 3 Words to help share exact pinpoint locations

Download a AR measuring app like http://armeasure.com Newer iPhones have a standard AR measuring tool.

Use a laser measuring tool

If planning actions in Central London you can use this website to check traffic hotspots everyday at the time of your action at the location…

Plan a route if needed and make a note of it.

Make a list of everything you need to check on the recce.


Who should do the recce? The three C’s - Competent, Confident and Careful


What to take on your recce?

Be Incognito


When to do your recce?

On going, live, on ground reconnaissance in the lead up to and during the action can be done via several people on site using a Whatsapp chat using live location to track vehicle positions. This can be used to communicate Plan B to all key players if needed!

During the action, especially longer actions/occupations, ongoing information gathering is essential for potential moves to a plan B or plan C, or to develop escalation of the action. A cover story that allows all areas access can be helpful, eg a photographer/live streamer, or a hand sanitiser dispenser.

Are police coming etc?


Recce checklist / Things to consider

Buildings and Infrastructure

Security/Police

Beacons / Tripods

Workers & Community

Miscellaneous


After you Recce

Recce Packs/Briefing Docs

Some aligned actions might require a recce pack; 404 is a good example. A recce pack was pulled together to advise on the areas that should be investigated at each specific Amazon depot. This pack helps ensure that those doing the visit cover all the appropriate requirements.


Case Study

Ascot Racecourse Anecdotal Observations


Information on security staff whose job is to identify threats from activists


Recce links, further reading and resources

Facial Recognition Technology


General resources

Action Resources Document

Suggested Reading