Protesting individual MPs is an important tactic, but has to be done carefully to minimise the risk to people in hard situations who may be seeking help.
Constituents visiting an MP’s office are often at the end of their options, and include refugees needing help dealing with the Home Office, disabled people needing assistance dealing with support systems and the DWP, people struggling with housing or care, and other traumatic and desperate situations.
Here are some things to keep in mind to avoid causing unintentional damage.
This isn’t about respectability or civility – it’s about keeping other people in bad situations safe.
1 – Only directly protest MPs who have defended the cuts. If you don’t have one of those MPs nearby, you could picket a CLP meeting, protest outside a Labour-run council or choose your area’s most public space to demonstrate and reach members of the public.
2 – If you have one of the MPs who has defended cuts, check to see if there is an event you could picket or disrupt before demonstrating at their office. Be mindful about which event you choose (eg. local business events are good targets, but women’s shelter events are not). Events often have the added bonus of extra press around.
3 – If you are only left with their constituency office:
Don’t block the doorway, bang on the windows, or act in ways which could intimidate constituents seeking help. If you see people approaching the office, be welcoming and kind. Have flyers to hand out if you can, explaining why you’re picketing and what this particular MP has done. Bear in mind how your group might appear to people who are coming to the office for help.
Disruption and civil disobedience are important forms of protest. We are not saying protest should be convenient or quiet. Just keep in mind the members of our communities who will be using services we’re protesting and see if there are ways to do it without putting them at further risk.
