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Expert Investigations
This week we’re looking at targets for protests. Welcome to the second article in a series of five where I will look, briefly, at an aspect of protests in each article. As highlighted in our introduction, the world has become an environment for more protests and activist behaviour.
Who And What Is The Target?
It is important when trying to identify, prevent, disrupt or control a protest to think wider outside the box. The target may not be the most obvious one you think. Protestors will identify their target based on many issues, which may include:
- To maximise impact
- To minimise disruption with a high impact
- To have a personal impact on specific individuals who are targets
- They may be small in their protest numbers
- They may be timid in their approach
- They may be a small group with a high enthusiasm for impact
- Security difficulties at preferred disruption locations
- Health and safety protection for the protestors
(these are just a sample of many)
The key aspect is to make the protest newsworthy.
What Are Newsworthy Targets For Protests?
Protests are based on localised, national and international issues. They are based around conflict and politics, commerce, expansion and closure and based on environmental issues, to name a few.
Types and reasons for protests are varied, so will the targets. A small local protest will potentially not have the appetite for activities that larger organisations will have, such as not wishing to glue themselves to structures but still wishing to disrupt by, for example, ‘sitting in’ to stop the traffic, or handcuffing themselves together in a group.
A protest group may choose an indirect target to the main antagonist. Examples could be disrupting the supply chain, such as depots which supply aviation fuel, or more localised, targeting a transport company involved with a housing development.
Targets do not have to be physical, as an online protest may be to target financial institutions or large businesses / organisations by the consistent flurry of adverse media.
Key individuals to a project could easily find themselves the direct target either at the workplace, their home address, their children’s schools to name a few simple scenarios. The very personal nature of this protest has the ability to cause maximum distress to the target.
Points of Highlight
In 2006, 4 animal rights activist were jailed for digging up the body, from her grave, of Gladys Hammond in 2004. The Hall family (Gladys being the Grandmother) bred Guinea Pigs for research and for 6 years were targeted by activists. BBC NEWS | England | Staffordshire | Four jailed in grave-theft case
A Hall family statement said: “We struggle to comprehend how anyone could conceive such a plan. We could only assume they were devoid of any emotions.
In October 2010, 6 protestors from a group called Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (Shac) were jailed for targeting employees from Huntington Live Sciences. The court heard how the group waged an international campaign of intimidation against a number of companies to try to force the closure of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). Huntingdon Life Sciences hate plot campaigners jailed – BBC News
In August 2020 three arrests were made after protesters gathered outside the entrance to the HS2 site on the Coventry Road, Kenilworth. ‘Why did police need to send so many officers and vehicles to deal with a peaceful protest?’ say onlookers and campaigners in Kenilworth (warwickshireworld.com)
In May 2023 Barclays AGM was disrupted by environmental activists from Extinction Rebellion, Fossil Free London and Climate Choir both inside and outside the venue, despite heavy security. Climate protesters use Spice Girls and Shakespeare to disrupt Barclays AGM | Business News | Sky News
Summary
Protest activity can be routed in complex and diverse reasoning, but the targets can be very diverse and wide ranging from the more obvious to the extreme. Direct protest at the organisation can be waged from many directions, commercially, online and personally.
There is no simple answer and the tool of protest will never go away. It is impossible to stop and prevent protest, despite best efforts from intelligence services, law enforcement, Government Depts and businesses, organisations or individuals.
As a business, an individual, group or organisation who may be subject to the potential protest and activist activity there is a need to consider how to:
Prevent
Disrupt
Detect
Any activity. All businesses must adopt a business continuity strategy, working from the broad and general to the specific. Please take a look at the rest of the articles in the series to get a full picture:
- Protest Groups: An Introduction
- Narrative: What Is The Message For The Protest?
- Tactics: What Are The Key Strategies Behind The Protest?
- Resources: Investigative and Proactive Resources For Protests
Many of the comments in this article are too complex to be discussed in this short article and the author seeks not to trivialise or overlook them, but merely use them as a conduit to support the narrative.
Get In Touch
David Kearns, a former Police Field Intelligence Detective, is the Managing Director of Expert Investigations Ltd, one of the countries leading investigation agencies, who has worked with numerous organisations in helping to prevent, disrupt and detect protest activity for the commercial sector. Call me now to discuss any points raised, concerns or presentation to your team on the subject.
Or alternatively get in touch via the links below: