Author Archives: Samira

S. Popovic: Put Your Opponent in a Dilemma!

In this video Srdja Popovic explains how “dilemma action” can be used as an effective method for nonviolent struggle by putting your opponent in a response dilemma. Srdja Popovic is a cofounder and key figure of the Serbian resistance movement … Continue reading

How to Become a 21st-Century Social Activist

How to become a 21st-century social activist? Use modern communication technology, like text messaging, Twitter, and Facebook to help bring about social change. Inspire people, spread you ideas, raise awareness, coordinate protests, or create an online petition! Find out how to … Continue reading

The Uprising of Women in the Arab World

The Uprising of Women in the Arab World was founded in October 2011 as a reaction of the Arab Spring – in regards to women’s rights. Now it has spread all over the Arab world. It defines itself as “an … Continue reading

The Spirit of Revolt

“Reform this,” “Reform that,” is heard from all sides. “War, finance, taxes, courts, police, everything would have to be remodeled, reorganized, established on a new basis,” say the reformers. An article about people’s dissatisfaction, social necessity, need to protest and … Continue reading

The Power of Nonviolent Self-Defense

Antje Mattheus, a member of Waging Nonviolence, describes how she experienced assault on the street and how she reacted to this situation. For many people it’s difficult to stay calm, if they are harassed by stranger, especially black people. The … Continue reading

S. Popovic: How to Use Different Triggers for Social Change

Srdja Popovic’s tip about how to use elections as a trigger in achieving social change. Srdja Popovic is a cofounder and key figure of the Serbian resistance movement “Otpor!”, whose led  Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 to the resignation in a … Continue reading

How Activists Become Laughtivists

Srdja Popovic and Mladen Joksic, founders of Serbia’s revolutionary movement ‘Otpor’, explain, how laughtivism can be an effective protest method. “Today’s most successful activists are transforming their societies not through the power of their weapons, but through the strength of … Continue reading

Everyone Can Be Active!

Jane Hash, who works for The Mobility Resource, says: “Almost anyone can be an activist if the desire is strong enough.” To be disabled doesn’t mean you can’t be an activist. There are lots of ways how you can express … Continue reading

Fast-food Strikes Continue

Thousands of people working at fast-food restaurants have a common demand: $15 an hour and the right to unionize. At McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King and KFC stores and other grease-slinging corporations, people protested the low wages. “We are all going … Continue reading

10 Ways to Make Positive Change in the World

How to make a positive change in the world? Where should you start? Sophie McAdams, a staff member of “True Activist”, created a list of 10 tips to make some positive change for a better world. You can create a … Continue reading

Golden Toads Resurrection Tour

Reverend Billy’s activists dressed as extinct species went on bank tour across the UK fighting against irresponsible lending. The creatures used to live in the forests of central America and extinct 25 years ago, the activists dressed as them started … Continue reading

PJ Harvey Has Released Song to Support Shaker Aamer

British musician PJ Harvey has released a new song to draw attention to the ongoing detention of the last British resident held inside the US prison at Guantánamo Bay. The track is called Shaker Aamer. Aamer is the last British … Continue reading

Why Civil Resistance Works

Download an excerpt on Why Civil Resistance Works (PDF) Chenoweth, Erica; Stephan, Maria J.: Why Civil Resistance Works. The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. International Security, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Summer 2008), pp. 7–44. © 2008 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute … Continue reading

Self-liberation. A Guide to Strategic Planning for Action to End a Dictatorship or Other Oppression

Download the PDF on Self-liberation. A Guide to Strategic Planning for Action to End a Dictatorship or Other Oppression Sharp, Gene: Self-liberation. A Guide to Strategic Planning for Action to End a Dictatorship or Other Oppression. Albert Einstein Institution, United … Continue reading

198 Methods of Nonviolent Action

Download the PDF on 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action Sharp, Gene: 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action, The Albert Einstein Institution, United States of America. Read more on aeinstein.org  

From Dictatorship to Democracy

Download the PDF on From Dictatorship to Democracy Sharp, Gene: From Dictatorship to Democracy. A Conceptual Framework for Liberation. The Albert Einstein Institution, Fourth U.S. Edition, United States of America, 2010. Read more on aeinstein.org  

There Are Realistic Alternatives by Gene Sharp

Download the PDF on There Are Realistic Alternatives by Gene Sharp Sharp, Gene: There Are Realistic Alternatives. The Albert Einstein Institution, United States of America, 2003. Read more on aeinstein.org

On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals

Download the PDF On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals Helvey, Robert L.: On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals. The Albert Einstein Institution, United States of America, First Edition, 2004. Read more on aeinstein.org  

Nonviolent Struggle – 50 Crucial Points

Download the PDF on Nonviolent Struggle – 50 Crucial Points Popovic, Srdja; Milivojevic, Andrej; Djinovic, Slobodan: Nonviolent Struggle. 50 Crucial Points. Centre for Applied NonViolent Action and Strategies, Serbia, Belgrade, 2006. also available in Farsi, French, Serbian, Spanish, Arabic here Read more on canvasopedia.org … Continue reading

Strategic Nonviolent Struggle: A Training Manual

Download the PDF on Strategic Nonviolent Struggle Miller, Christopher A.: Strategic Nonviolent Struggle: A Training Manual. University for Peace, Africa Programme, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2006.

Bulgarian Protesters Blocked Parliament in Sofia

Bulgarian protests against the coalition government have going on for five weeks. Thousands of people are taking to the streets in Sofia and other cities. Protesters have blocked the doors of Bulgaria’s parliament. They threw stones and clashed with police evacuating the … Continue reading

Nonviolent Defense

People need to learn how to keep each other safe nonviolently. George Lakey is writing about specific cases when people defend without using violence. They have worked to develop new possibilities of nonviolent defense.  Some very far-fetched ideas get generated that way. “It’s … Continue reading

Musicians to Free Pussy Riot Members

Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, members of the Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot, were jailed last year after taking part in a protest at Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral. Amnesty International coordinated the open letter by the artists to free Pussy Riot members. … Continue reading

“Eyes on the Street”

In 1961 Jane Jacobs published the book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. She wrote about safety on the street, “there must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the … Continue reading

Dancing Against Sexual Harassment

It’s been one year since Ellie Cosgrave was sexually abused in a tube. She decided to dance for all women who have been assaulted. On International Women’s Day she went back to the spot, where the incident happened. “I wanted … Continue reading

Hunger Strike to Support Guantánamo Prisoner

Frankie Boyle has started a hunger strike in solidarity with Guantánamo Bay prisoner Shaker Aamer, who has been striking for 150 days. His aim is to raise awareness of Guantánamo prisoners on hunger strike. Boyle has joined Aamer’s lawyer Clive Stafford … Continue reading

The Paris Center of FEMEN Destroyed by Fire

Paris training base of FEMEN sextremists has been destroyed by fire. Fortunately there are no victims but the building is completely destroyed… We still don’t know the causes of the fire. “It might be easy to suggest that it is … Continue reading

Mapping the Protests

John Beiler, the student at Pensylvania State University with help of Josh Stevens created a map which shows protests around the world that took place in the first six months of 2013. The map can’t be perfectly accurate because we don’t … Continue reading

The Activists’ Guide to Archiving Video

The “Activists’ Guide to Archiving Video” can help your videos to stay intact, authentic and accessible. It was developed for human rights activists, small NGOs, media collectives and citizen activists. It just clearly explains archiving concepts and practices. Read more … Continue reading

Nelson Mandela’s 95th Birthday

Former president of Republic of South Africa Nelson Mandela celebrates his 95th birthday. The anniversary is an important celebration for South Africa because this the African-American politic significantly contributed to the fall of the racist regime. Mendela is not able … Continue reading