198 Methods of Nonviolent Direct Action

Nonviolent Action Method #137: Refusal of an Assemblage or Meeting to Disperse

30 August 2017
From Gene Sharp

Refusal of an Assemblage or Meeting to Disperse

A formal or informal meeting may demonstrate opposition by rejecting requests, whether official or not, to disperse. Sometimes, this technique is closely linked to non-obedience or civil disobedience with “illegitimate” laws.

In 2014, protesters demonstrating against the killing of unarmed African-American teenager Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, refused to disperse. In response, police fired tear gas into the crowd.

(You can read more about the different methods of nonviolent protest in Gene Sharp’s book The Politics of Nonviolent Action. Access CSA’s catalogue of Sharp’s methods here, or download the full list of 198 methods here.)

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Nonviolent Action Method #9: Leaflets, Pamphlets, Books

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Nonviolent Action Method #8: Banners, Posters, Displayed Communications

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(You can read more about the different methods of nonviolent protest in Gene Sharp’s book The Politics of Nonviolent Action.

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