I disagree. Hide the gear, in many circumstances they will arrest anyone obviously geared up before they even get to the event. Don’t draw a target on yourself and don’t make yourself like you’re here to fight, make them look as bad as possible by making it obvious they are attacking innocents.
If you show up in your own riot gear it makes them look like heroes. Being discreet is very important for the optics, obviously with a few small concessions made for protection.
For example, using an umbrella makes you look like a resourceful underdog, while using a homemade shield makes you look like someone who came for a fight.
You don’t want to look like you came to fight. You want to look like you came to peacefully protest, and they forced you to fight (notice I didn’t say you shouldn’t fight)
I disagree. Hide the gear, in many circumstances they will arrest anyone obviously geared up before they even get to the event. Don’t draw a target on yourself and don’t make yourself like you’re here to fight, make them look as bad as possible by making it obvious they are attacking innocents.
If you show up in your own riot gear it makes them look like heroes. Being discreet is very important for the optics, obviously with a few small concessions made for protection.
For example, using an umbrella makes you look like a resourceful underdog, while using a homemade shield makes you look like someone who came for a fight.
You don’t want to look like you came to fight. You want to look like you came to peacefully protest, and they forced you to fight (notice I didn’t say you shouldn’t fight)