There are a number of support roles we will be providing for the Big Blockade. See each role for a brief description of what is being provided.
We also need volunteers to help as first aiders, cooks, legal observers, drivers, sitters in police offices waiting to greet folk as they're released, etc. If you can blockade, please do but if you're coming and want to help with a support role (and aren't needed to do so in your affinity group) then please get in touch.
Make sure that everyone in your group has filled in a legal support form and has a Bust Card ― including those that are not planning to risk arrest. These will be available at the Glasgow venues, on the buses and at the gates of Faslane. If you are coming directly to the base you can download them from the website at www.faslane365.org/1oct/legal or contact us and we will e-mail or post you a form to copy. Please hand the completed forms in to the registration tables at Glasgow venues or Faslane.
We will co-ordinate Legal Support centrally. We will collect all the legal support forms and track people who have been arrested including confirming addresses to the police. We will find out which police stations people are being held in, when they are due to be released and will co-ordinate lifts to get them back to a Anderston Kelvingrove Church in Glasgow (directions).
Each affinity group should have their own legal observers whose main role is getting the names of people being arrested. They can also note down:
When the arrests from your group have finished give a list of the names to the Legal support co-ordinator (wearing a tabard) at your gate. (or if for some reason this is not possible phone them in yourself)
The legal support office will track people and during the evening there will be information available at Anderston Kelvingrove about which police stations people are being held at.
We will co-ordinate minibuses to pick people up from police stations and bring them to Anderston Kelvingrove. If you are coming up by minibus please consider having an extra driver so you can help with pick-ups (and let us know in advance if you can). If you are coming and want to help with a support role and could drive a minibus please get in touch.
Each group should have a media person or task group to work on getting local and specialist media coverage. If possible have someone back home co-ordinating and making the contacts with local media a week before, then a few days before and on the day after having gotten an account of the action, including photos from your media person at Faslane. Media people should find out deadlines and try to arrange radio interviews before, on the day or upon return. It's also possible to get regional TV stations to cover your group by letting them know in advance. People may want to write their own story, e.g. “Why I am going to risk arrest in Scotland”, and submit to local paper, with their media person making contact and promoting coverage.
The media person can already have the bones of a press release prepared ahead of time with quotes from members of the action group, and their details. This can incorporate brief biographical information indicating age, standing in the community (such as professional position or any membership in community organizations) which will appeal to local journalists' need for an angle.
There will be limited facilities for uploading photos, use of media laptop for writing press releases and wireless access on the Faslane 365 Bus at Faslane Peace Camp. Try and bring your own wireless enabled laptop with a charged battery and card reader. Try to have the draft press release already composed ahead of time, with a few blanks to be filled in as indicated above. This can then be emailed out with a few good photos to your media person at home who can then send on to media outlets. Alternatively be prepared with email addresses and phone numbers of local media, send out press release and call from your charged mobile from Faslane (Vodafone works here) on the day.
The Faslane 365 Steering Group will coordinate, as far as possible, national media coverage, connecting reporters with a diversity of people from the groups. Please indicate on your registration form if you are willing to speak to press, especially if you have experience and a penchant for doing so. If you need help with any of this or have questions the F365 media team will try to help ― contact Brian (brian at faslane365 dot org or 07768 312676) or Adam (adam at faslane365 dot org)
For more details on dealing with media including sample press releases see the Getting your message out section of the Faslane 365 Resource Pack
People not risking arrest can also take care of practical support for people who have been arrested such as looking after their belongings. Your group might have someone who keeps up your morale by providing water or hot drinks, chocolate, massages, and encouragement. Remember that other supporters need looking after too!
Through affinity groups, large numbers of people at the blockade can make fast decisions if circumstances change. In your affinity group you can decide very quickly whether to move from one gate if it looks as if the police are re-opening another gate. Work out in advance who will facilitate a quick consensus decision if it is needed.