Like it or not – and many people clearly sit in the ‘not’ camp – the right to protest powers democracy and has arguably been behind many of the biggest leaps forward society has seen, including the Suffragettes, the Miners’ Strike of 1984-85, the anti-Poll Tax movement, and climate change activism.
In recent years, however, people’s freedom to join peaceful demonstrations has been quietly eroded, with Greenpeace research revealing an almost ten-fold rise in the number of arrests in London for conspiracy to cause public nuisance since 2019. However, out of more than 600 arrests made, only 18 (2.8%) were ever charged.
These figures support Greenpeace claims that anti-protest laws are being used to remove and intimidate peaceful protesters.
Enter a new Greenpeace digital out of home campaign designed to confront this reality head on, devised by Elvis, under the tagline of “They can’t arrest this billboard”.
Designed as a simultaneous digital protest across three UK cities, the ads allow activists to make their stand inside digital screens, drawing attention to the very real risk of their arrest if they were there in person.
The campaign has already been awarded the gold prize in the non-profit category of Ocean Outdoor’s annual Digital Creative Competition which seeks bold, original work that pushes the boundaries of DOOH.
Presented in partnership with Amnesty International UK, Friends of the Earth and Liberty, the activity forms part of a growing movement calling on the Government to restore people’s right to make their voices heard on issues they care about by reversing anti-protest measures in two key pieces of legislation passed since 2022.
The virtual protest will run this week across Ocean’s city centre Loop networks in Birmingham and Manchester, and in a high footfall area of Westfield Stratford City in London on billboards in close proximity to each other to replicate a real protest.
Created and shot by Elvis, the creative features videos of six high profile activists holding placards that say “I’m protesting in here to avoid arrest out there”.
Each ad faithfully represents the individual protester as if they were actually present on the street, the activists each representing an issue that they have protested about in the past and want to continue doing so in the future.
They are Khalid Abdallah, actor and protestor for Palestinian rights; Dr Helen Salisbury, GP and protestor for Keep Our NHS Public; Andy Greene, a disability rights activist with Disabled People Against the Cuts; Andrew McParland, climate activist and Greenpeace UK board member; Jen Reid, author and Black Lives Matter activist; and Sahanika Ratnayake, an academic who protests on environmental issues.
Outdoor audiences moving along the virtual OOH protest routes will encounter a sequence of different activists, just as they would in a real-life protest. A scannable QR code provides them with more information about which democratic rights are at risk under the Crime & Policing Bill currently making its way through Parliament.
Greenpeace UK head of campaign creative Janette Hall said: “Our democratic right to protest is rapidly being eroded with serious consequences that aren’t always visible.
“This campaign brings medium and message together in a stark way, asking an almost dystopian question that’s getting close to reality in the UK today: what if billboards were the last place to protest without fear of arrest?
“We wanted to spotlight the courageous people this government is trying to silence – those standing up to defend everything from the future of the NHS to human rights and the planet. If you care about anything, care about your right to speak up – and be heard.”
Elvis managing director and sustainability lead Caroline Davison added: “The freedom to make your voice heard is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy, and with democracy under threat at home and around the world, we must take a stand to ensure our hard-won right to protest is not stripped away – it is the right that all other rights depend upon.
“Many people have no idea that this crackdown on peaceful protest is happening right under our noses, so we knew we had to raise awareness before it’s too late. It’s sobering to think that soon a billboard might be the only safe place left to protest.
“While DOOH advertising is incredibly powerful in the main, in this instance, we can agree it isn’t comparable to actually being able to walk the streets together. This creative campaign makes the general public confront this reality head on.”
Greenpeace will amplify the DOOH campaign with social media activity, including interviews with the activists and members of the public, and will ask the public to sign a petition calling on the Government to stop the crackdown on protest and protect the right to freedom of expression.
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, if ever there has been a case to not keep calm and carry on this has got to be it. Those who argue that peaceful protests get you nowhere might want to take a quick look at the history books. Of course, being in a protest can get you a good kicking, but no one ever said change was easy. Time and time again we have seen democracy win through.
So, is there anything more depressing than being denied the right to have your say? Do we really want to live under Chinese or Russian “democracy”? We think not…
As the late Clash frontman Joe Strummer once sang: “Kick over the wall, cause governments to fall. How can you refuse it? Let fury have the hour, anger can be power. Do you know that you can use it?”
Decision Marketing Adometer: A “fight for your rights” 10 out of 10
