body hammer tactics-self-defence for the modern protester

8/14/2019 Body Hammer Tactics-Self-Defence for the Modern Protester

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Version 1.0


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I w ill force my body to be m y w eapon a nd my statem ent s o.. .

-Th e Stra n glers, Death & Nigh t & Blood

Introduction

Techn ology h as ch an ged the street protest . In centu ries pas t , a mas s of people

wish ing to expres s th ems elves could only be silen ced by live gu n fire. Bu t th e advent of

riot a rm or, lacryXXX gas es a n d less -leth al projectiles h ave allowed ru ling esta blish m ent s

to squelch the voice of protesters with great ease, and even better PR.

It is the interest of this booklet to help preserve our freedoms of speech and public

m ovemen t in expres sing ou rs elves. Th e objective is n ot to

u p th e an te or en cou rage street batt les. No one sets out

to en gage the police or th e arm y. We are on the st reets to

be seen an d h eard, b u t fin d i t ever m ore difficult asarres ts a n d injuries from p olicin g forces a im to sh u t ou r

voices out of the general equation.

One benefit of our modern and wasteful mass con-

su mp tion society is th at it a llows u s to protect outs elves

from thes e forces. We have th e material an d the mea ns

to defend our p rotests a n d to keep th e police at a dis-

tan ce. Ou r method is self-defens e. We ma rch with a

mission and should those in power order others to stop

u s , we have a r ight to defend ou r bodies as mu ch a s our

message.

This booklet ha s b een writ ten in th e bas ic int erestof alerting protes ters in North Am erica to th e n eed of self-

defens e tactics. Most of th is book was h eavily in sp ired to

th e White Overalls m ovemen ts in Eu rope who h ave a

much longer history of effecting change through powerful

demonstra t ions . We owe our than ks to them an d hope

th at we in th e Americas can also find su ch s trength in our voices.

A Roman relifef depicting a testudoformation.


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Part I

Shield varieties and construction

The type of shield you are looking to use depends on the main factors of speed of construc-

t ion, concealment, t he a ctions you will be involved in a nd ma terials on h an d.

Selecting a shield type

As persons who perform self-defense presumably without the use of a weapon, there are a

wide arr ay of option s in s h ield tactics. For ou r pu rpos es, we ar e in terest ed in form in g a

sh ield wall form at ion pr ovidin g for freedom of m ovemen t an d defens e. Th is mea n s th at you

can choose between using a shield with the tradit ional one-arm method, or a two-handed

m eth od. Wh ile a one-ar m ed sh ield provides more m an eu verab ility, two-arm ed sh ields give

greater stren gth in d efending on eself an d pu sh ing away the attacker. As a pers on is other-

wise unarmed, the two-handed shield should be considered a strong choice and cri t ical to

th e center of an y sh ield wall. Th e meth ods of both will be des cribed below.

The other issu e is th e type of sh ield design. Wh ile mu ch of this is based on costs an d

available ma terials , th ere are oth er factors to k eep in mind .

Transportation: If your action requires the crossing of a border bring materials for shields

th at ca n d oub le as everyday item s. A large card boar d box (filled with old books p erh ap s) in

th e ba ck s eat or a few non -in flated inn er-tu bes for you r river-raftin g trip will be easy to slip

by au thorit ies.

Concealment: Taking the shield in transit from where you are staying to the action's con-

vergence spot could fin d you s ome trou ble. Lar ge sh ields of cour se ar e ha rder to con ceal.

The advan tage of in flata ble shields is th at th ey can be constr u cted while actu ally at th e con-

vergence sp ot pret ty qu ickly.

Movement: If you are expecting to have to run some and fear that there wont be enough

m em bers of a s h ield wall to provide walking protection , lar ger scu tu m (tower) sh ields can bevery difficu lt to ru n with. Wh ile bein g h eld in position you r kn ees m ay hit th e bottom of th e

sh ield an d otherwise its ra th er bu lky.

Type of action: Hopefu lly you will ha ve a sen se for wh at type of direct a ction is being p lan n ed

in gener al as well as wh at m ean s of force th e police plan on u sing. Lar ger sh ields a re bet-

ter for protecting against projectile weapons, while smaller ones are more maneuverable for

defending again st tr u n cheons . Never u nd erestima te what th e police will do, bu t if you k now

that their force is not equipped with rubber bullets or the l ike, you can presume that hand

to ha n d figh ting is m ore likely. Also, if th e type of action r equ ires defend in g a perimeter,

larger shields are better if nothing else for their imposing appearance.

S h i e ld s h a p e s a n d a d v a n t a ge s

A note: The simpler, DIY method presumes that shields will be made more flat, while tradi-

tion ally, all sh ields were roun ded to better deflect blows an d cover the body. Roun ded

sh ields a re con sidera bly m ore difficu lt to cons tru ct with m ost m ater ials. Also, for ou r pu r-

poses h ere, sh ields with ha rd a n n ot rou nd ed corn ers are generally more ada pta ble, so con-

sider squ aring ou t a sh ape (e.g. the basic cur ved rou nd s hield becomes a flat "squ are"


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shield).

Round s hield:

Th e most ba sic (an d simplest to cons tru ct with a garba ge can lid)

are sm al l round sh ie lds u su al ly measu r ing 21/ 2 to 3 feet in

diameter. This is a common shield size for the police in several

Eu ropean coun tries. It is compa ct an d eas y to u se, providing pro-

tection for the head and torso. This is also the shape you will

ha ve us ing an inn er-tu be var iant .

Heater:

The h eater sh ape is th e clas sic medieval

looking shield with a flat top a nd roun ded, tap ering bottom. It pr o-

vides the hard edge top, which can be used as a tool in grappling

as well a s bet ter lower pr otection. If you follow an y given SCA

directions, you will probably end up with

something like this.

Kite sh ape:the kite shape is the tradit ional Viking and Norman pattern with

eith er roun ded or sh arp edges genera lly resemb lin g a kite. The elon-

gated bottom protects more of your lower torso (privates included)

and parts of your legs, and yet isn't as difficult to walk with as a

tower sh ield.

Scutum or Tow er shield:

The tall, slightly curved on the horizontal

plane shield is the old standard of the

Rom an Testu do form at ion . It is also

approximately the style which most policeriot shields are shaped as. Police variants differ from about 30-40

inches in height, whereas the old Roman shield could reach some

4 1 / 2 feet (or at least th at high , relative to how sh ort th ey were

back th en). At th e larger size end, m ake th e shield so th at you h ave

spa ce for both you r feet to walk u nd erneat h an d you r eyes to peer

over. Th e advan ta ge is clearly fu ll body protection withou t h avin g

to move the sh ield. Visu ally, it is a lso th e most impos in g, an d it

provides a m ple sp ace for a mes sa ge to be written. Idea lly, n o for-

m ation is with out some of th ese, however it is a s h ield th at is cu m-

bersome, difficult to transport and almost impossible to use offen-

sively oth er tha n p u re sh oving. Th is is th e defau lt size if u sing the

pool raft in flatab le varian t.

A viking era round shield.

A heater-shaped shield.

A Norman kite shield.

Roman scutum shields.


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Ha n d l e s

One-han ded h and les :

First of all, we should cover the for-

mat in which handles are applied, whichis universal for any one-armed design.

Simple grip handles in the middle of your

sh ield will always work in a pinch . Bu t

they do not allow for the control that

might be necessary in a hot si tuation.

Th ey are eas y to pu ll awa y an d d ont a llow

for as m u ch flexibility. Rea lly, if you d on t

care t o be pr ecise th an th ey will do fine in

genera l si tua tions.

Con stru ctin g th e h an dles them selves depend on the ma terial you a re using. You ma y

need to dri ll holes, or perh aps you can jus t pu n ch th em th rough. Th is also depend s on if

you wish to u se a rope or leath er stra p or will need a s traight h ole for a s tore-bough t m etal

handle .

One-armed handles :

The tradit ional shield handles function with one strap that your forearm passes

th rough, u p to ju st before you r elbow. Then a h an dle sh ould be foun d ju st where your h an d

can gras p. Th e angle of th is set u p is at 45 from th e top an d side of th e shield. A quick

way to determin e th e an gle is to hold one corner of th e sh ield a n d let it da ngle, then dra w a

line str aight d own, perpen dicu lar to the groun d. Of cou rse if you a re bu ilding a rou n d

sh ield, th is an gle asp ect doesnt ma tter. Place th e ha n dle relatively close to th e up per cor-

n er. You ca n determine th e exact posit ion by holding th e arm you will be using across yourch est. Th e top of th e sh ield sh ould be a few inch es above th at . Th e h orizon ta l position is

depend an t on th e width of th e sh ield, bu t remem ber th at th at corner is wha t will becom e an

exten sion of your arm , so leave it n ear en ough to the edge.

Two-han ded ha ndles :

Sh ields with two h an ds requ ire a differen t sort of h an dle configur at ion. As one-a rm ed

shields are carried for left-right sweeps and up-down pivoting at the elbow, two-handed

sh ields a re prima rily u sed for moving th em ba ck an d forth . For this, position two vertical

ha n dles perpen dicu lar from th e top of th e shield. Th e dista n ce between th e two vertical

ha nd les sh ould be ju st a bout th e width of you r arm s. The idea is to al low for a perfect pus h-

ing action from your elbows bent a t you r sides ou t. If th e spa cin g is a little m ore na rrowth an th is, it will work a lmost a s well. Adjus t a s feels com forta ble.

With an y style of ha n dles you u se, remem ber th at you will wan t to eith er wear th ick

gloves, or ma ke su re tha t your kn u ckles ha ve some cleara nce. Once the sh ield gets h it , your

knuckles will be receiving the brunt of the blows.

Depiction of handle placement on a heater-style shield.


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One-arme d m ethod (trad itional)

The tradit ional method of employing a shield is to use one's non-dominant arm

exten ded th rough t he loop of th e sh ield u p a s far a s th e end of th e forearm with th e ha n dle

gripp ed by the h an d. However, if th e sh ield is the on ly th ing you will be carr yin g, you m aywish to us e you r domin an t arm instea d. For pu rposes of explaining sta n ce an d movemen t,

we will pres u m e it is th e left arm th at is holdin g th e sh ield. If n ot, sim ply revers e thes e

directions.

Adjustments in shield position are made by pivoting at the elbow, while keeping the

u pper arm firm a n d in p lace. Th e defens ive reaction is a s weeping one, ou tward an d to the

left. Since th e u pp er-left corner of th e sh ield is close to you r gripp ing fist, th at ed ge can be

u sed a s a tool. For in sta n ce wh en facing a sh ielded opponen t you can u se th at edge to eith er

pin th eir s h ield down, or b y sliding your in an d p u llin g back, you can pry their sh ield a way

from t heir body which wou ld h ave a disorienta tin g effect an d th ey would pres u ma bly retreat .

If n ecessa ry, th is corner ca n a lso be u sed for body ch ecks. Practice feeling it as a n exten-sion of your arm . However it is imp ortan t to remem ber to not get carried a way with th is ta c-

t ic an d forget th e sh ield 's prima ry pu rpose - protecting you r body an d th at of others.

If you are ou tn u mb ered in a m elee, you s h ould n ever become too focu sed on e oppo-

n ent as descr ibed ab ove. Defens ive sta n ce for a left-h an ded s h ield is to ha ve th e left leg pa rt-

ly extend ed forward with th e foot facing stra ight ah ead . You r righ t leg sh ould be back a n d

both k n ees sh ou ld be slightly ben t with your bod y weight center ed. Th is allows for stron g

resista nce to b ein g pu sh ed ba ck a s well as th e ab ility to quickly move forward, ba ckward or

laterally. The shield can be swung outwards in a natural manner, with no loss in balance.

If pr ess ed b a dly, this will a llow for a b low to be pa rt ially abs orbed by m oving th e left leg ba ck

bu t u n dersta n d th at a s you d o, the m ore exposed righ t side of you r body will now be facin g

your opponent.

Two-hand ed m ethod

If you have chosen to use a two-handed shield much of the tactics in a skirmish

described above apply. The m ain difference is th at a s a two-ha nd ed sh ield operator, you a re

mu ch more powerfu l in a pu sh ing/ resist in g posit ion. As su ch, you sh ould be at th e very

front, a llowing for th ose with sm aller or one-arm ed sh ields to be beh ind an d a t you r s ides

for protection.

When advan cing you r ar m s s h ould be posit ioned with your elbows loose an d a t you r

chest . Wh en conta ct is m ade, you r action is a simple shove forward. With b oth h an ds on

th e sh ield, you won t h ave the opportu n ity to skirmish in an ythin g but a r igid m an n er. You

can still tilt th e direction of the s h ove as n eed be, b u t h opefu lly you will st ill be in you r lin e

an d h ave compat riots at eith er side of your body. You can u se your a rm s to eith er press

and lock them at full length, or you can more effectively push forward, pull in and push

again, in a pu lsin g m an n er. Th is lim its exposu re to your b ody while ma xim izin g you r effec-

tiven ess . Th e problem is th at in a rea l situ at ion, you will proba bly h ave people pres sing on

you from behind as well , so your best option is to then press the shield to your body and


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u se your body weight to p ress forward .

Your defen sive sta n ce will be similar t o the on e-arm ed m eth od in t h at you p osition on e

leg ah ead of th e oth er, crouch sl ightly an d bra ce yours elf. Th e arm s sh ould be firm , bu t

bend so tha t you can ab sorb pa rt of th e blow with out h aving someth ing break. Also, if you r

shield is large enough, you can counter act by crouching further behind and surging for-

ward with a ju mp . This sh ould be powerfu l enou gh to keep you r opponen t well at ba y.


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Garbage can/ barrel s hields :

The easiest shield to make

is often one that is mostly pre-

ma de for you . Foun d str e etitems can often work wond erfu l-

ly making construct ion quick

an d easy. Plas tic garbage can s

are the easiest with l ids turning

into ins tan t sh ie lds an d the can s

themselves requiring little more

th an being cut in half. Oran ge

construction barrels are a l i t t le

bit more difficult to obtain, but

can similarly be used howeverthey tend to be much more

rounded and hence diff icult to

grip in a one-armed style.

Construction:

With a can lid, you sh ould be all set . Tha t is u n less you dont want th e awkward to

u se h an dle, which is n ot optima l for protecting yours elf or ad van cin g, bu t will do fine if you

ar ent pa rticular . If you des ire a better grip, follow th e ab ove in str u ction s. Fu rth erm ore,

keep in m in d th at th e ha nd le is on th e opposite side of wha t you might p refer. It sh ould be

at tached s o that the concave round ed s ide is wha t points outward.

Idea l for tower sh ields , th e body portion of a p lastic tras h can be u sed for two or thr eesh ields depen ding on th e size of th e can an d th e desired width . Larger, ind u strial tras h con-

ta iners or ba rrels tend t o be ta ller an d will cover more area . With a sa w, rem ove the bottom

of th e can a nd a ny han dles on the side. Then cu t the can into th e desired portions. Size it

u p against your own body to find th e desired width . Since th e can is roun ded, app lying one-

armed handles on the inside of the shield will be a little bit trickier. While it works fine in

th at m an ner, tra sh can s h ields a re also perfect for the two-ha nd ed grip style. If you are

u sing it in th is m an n er an d plan on b ein g in th e front l ine of a Tortoise format ion, consid-

er u sing a h ot kn ife to cut a sm all sl it a few inch es from th e top to peer throu gh.

Inflatable s hield s :

Qu ick to constru ct , eas y to trans port , in con spicuou s an d add in g an extra bou nce, inflat-

ab le sh ields a re a very clever var iant . On th e opp osite extreme of an imposin g sh ield wall,

using inflatable shields gives the disarming appearance that the police are busting up a

beach pa r ty.

There are two main variants of inflatable shields - rounded lifesaver style and the tall,

flat pool ra ft. Th e lifesa ver style is ba sically a rou n d sh ield with s ome ad ded th ickn ess ,

Protesters crouch behind garbage can shields in Quebec City, April 20, 2001.


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whereas the pool raft can provide full body protection, although they tend not to be very

thick.

Given what you will find, there are two vari-

an ts of th e lifesa ver st yle. Th e sligh tly sm a ller

and l ightweight option is to purchase a small ,

infla ta ble per son a l pool flota tion device. Th ese

are ma de from plas t ic an d are eas ier to pun cture

plu s h ave th inner walls , bu t are m u ch eas ier to

wield. Doub lin g u p of two of th ese light tu bes isalso an option. The h eavy an d strong choice ar e

l a rge inner-tubes, often used for si t t ing in.

Thes e are thick, bou ncy but qu ite heavy. Given

their weight, they make considerably better

options as a two-handed shield, providing for

strong shoving action.

The pool raft variant provides for a sort of

tower sh ield, quite possibly one th at is larger th an you r own body. If availab le, pu rch as e

rafts of the smallest variety, although due to their lightweight, an overly tall raft should not

be too obtru sive. Becau se su ch ch eap pool rafts a re rath er thin an d n ot very rigid, it is rec-omm ended th at you try to affix two of th em together. Thicker, heavier an d m u ch st u rdier

rafts also exist for about four times the cost of a cheap one.

Construction:

Inflata ble shields h ave the en ormou s advan tage of being qu ick to const ru ct ju st before

a dem onst ration kicks off. With h ard effort , it sh ould take n o more than 30 m in u tes to con-

stru ct any of th e varian ts in an y style. Remem ber tha t while un inflated ra fts ar e eas y to

explain to inquisitive officers, some of the other materials needed might not be.

Option 1: The first option simply requires an awful lot of tape. Packaging tape or duct

ta pe will work ju st fin e. Th ey key here is to str ength en th e cen ter ar ea of th e sh ield with

tap e so th at i t can s u sta in b lows with out pu nctu ring. Of cours e this is especially crit icalwith lifesaver rafts th at h ave an open center. Secon d of al l, the ta pe is th en u sed to fas hion

h an dles. Th is is where you decide if you r sh ield will be a on e- or two-ha n ded variety. Follow

th e pattern s for determining ha nd le posit ion an d an gle as u niversa lly described above. Th e

tape is wrapped aroun d an d given s lack in th ese areas a nd the s lack por t ion is wadded so

as to provide a thin grip. Make several pas ses to ens u re strength. For raft shields th at

wou ld r equire excessive am oun ts of tap e when wrapped vertically, m ake th e h an dles from

small s t r ips , p lace them in posi t ion and then secure them down at the top and bot tom of

th e h an dles b y wrap ping tape h orizon tally.

Option 2: Option two utilizes some sort of thick plastic wrap such as a tarp, or failing

th at , a stron g bedsh eet or oth er large fabr ic. The int ention h ere is to su bsti tu te the mas -

sive am oun ts of tap e in option on e with a b as ic coverin g that can su sta in blows while ma in-

ta ining the bou n ce effect of th e rafts. Either a s m all section of th e tarp or fab ric can be cu t

out to cover the n eeded area, or a mu ch larger am oun t can b e us ed to wrap th e entire sh ield.

Then u se s t rong tape to t ight ly secure the m ater ia l and ma ke su re it is ta u t enough to ma in -

tain th e boun ce factor. Be aware th at pa ckagin g tap e does n ot st ick well to fab rics an d th at

du ct tape should be u sed in th is case . Fina lly, fash ion han dles in th e same ma nn er as in

option one.

Innertube shields on the move in Cancun, Mexico.


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Cardboard bas ed sh ields :

Cardboard shields are relatively simple to make, or with a variety of construction options,

can become m ore complicated. The s imp ler varian ts a re of m aterial th at would be simple to

pas s off u nd er scru tiny by au th orit ies. Carrying a cardboar d box an d a h aving a few stra n ds

of rope in your pocket probably wont bring much suspicion s you walk to a convergence

location.But bear in mind that cardboard shields, without much reinforcement, are not going to

be very effective agains t ba ton b lows. Th ey serve a perfect place in fur th er ba ck rows wh ere

sa y, in a Tortoise form at ion , th ey work well en ou gh to deflect projectiles. So if you ar e plan -

in g on being on th e fron tlin e, try to avoid us in g card boar d, . However, if you catch you rs elf

early in a day where you predict a shield will come in handy, this type is simple and quick

enou gh to build.

Construction:

Option 1: The most basic variety is a relatively large panel of a cardboard box, at least 24"

x 24" - enou gh to cover you r face an d u pper tors o. Th en with two stra n ds of rope, or a gooddeal of string, affix handles as per the above

posit ioning instructions by punching holes and

tying knots at the ends so the ropes don't s l ip

th rough. If you h ave th e cha n ce, add som e glu e

to the area the rope sl ips through to prevent

tearing where th e knot m ight be r ipped out.

Option 2: Simply glue or tape on added layers of

card boar d for m ore du ra bility. If you lack mu ch

extra cardboard, use small str ips along the

perimeter and in the center between two full size

pa n els wh ich will give th e sh ield a t least a degreeof increa sed strength . Even if a baton h its a

shield that is mostly air on the inside, it will at

least absorb that much more of the blow.

Option 3: A pecu liar b u t in credibly simp le var iant is to us e an en tire box with n o top. Wh en

worn as a shield with straps on the bottom of the box, the open-box shield is an odd but

clever fron tlin e sh ield. Its ad van ta ge is th e fact th at a n oppon ent h as great difficu lty lan d-

in g a solid blow against you, a nd more th an likely with h ave his or h er tru nch eon wind u p

st u ck inside th e box. If you ar e su rgin g forward , th at weap on will be difficu lt to extra ct an d

you h ave ju st ren dered it ineffective. Add ition ally, a ta ll box (of at leas t 8 ") h as a fra m e th at

when h it head on will dent , but n ot break. The dan gerous d isa dvanta ge is th at you lose

many angles of deflection, meaning that a baton may hit the side of your box, slide forward

an d still str ike you . Bu t it does ha ve m an y disorien ta ting poss ibilities. An option I h ave n ot

put probably enough thought into is affixing an open box on a larger base, serving a dual

fu n ction of conta in ing a ba ton a n d deflection. (Really th is cou ld all jus t be a ba d concept,

bu t Im not yet su re.)

Soft foam shield:

Foam and innertubes clash in Prague, Sept. 26, 2000.


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A simple design for a su per l ightweight a n d qu ick to m ake sh ield th at is to u se s oft foam,

su ch as the kind foun d in chairs and soun dproof padding as a core. You sh ould be able to

find a fairly lar ge sized block, wh ich ca n t h en b e cut t o size with a k n ife or sciss ors. If th e

foam is less th an two in ches in t hickness , cons ider dou bling it u p. You will also want a piece

of card or tack -board for th e fron t. Th is sort of sh ield looks very n on-offens ive an d is qu ite

cushy if possible bodily harm is a concern to you.

Construction:Once you h ave the size of th e core correct , du ct tap e you r boar d s u rface to th e front.

You will h ave to pu n ch h oles th rou gh th e entirety to position you r ha n dle. Th e best option

for tha t is rope or an y sort of firm stra p. Other th an th at , th ere is very lit t le to this design.

Plexiglas s s hields

Plexiglas s is a h igh ly versitile ma terial since it can be cu t an d m an ipu lated, an d is fair-

ly ligh tweight. Home impr ovemen t stores sell plexiglass in a var iety of sizes. On e cou ld cu t

an yth ing from a sm all one-arm ed sh ield, to a m as sive mu lti-person sh ield wall. Th e only

dra w back is t he lack of flexibility mean s t ha t n ot only are roun ded s h apes n ear imposs ible,bu t th at th e ma terial can sn ap eas ily. In order to su sta in b aton or projectile blows th e sh ield

wou ld h ave to be at least a 1/ 2 in t hickness . If th e ma terial does n ot come th at way, it can

be layered an d glu ed with a m ixed epoxy, su per glu e or glu e gun .

Construction:

Plexiglass can be roughly cut with a

hand-saw, bu t a band saw i s much p re -

ferred. If you lack a n electric saw, cons id-

er drilling multiple holes in a line and

sn ap pin g off th e excess . Hopefully you

can acquire the size you want r ight awaythough .

A good idea for a dd ed r ein forcemen t,

especially if your shield is extremely large,

is to affix planks of wood along the oblong

sides . A fu ll fra m e of wood will h elp th at

mu ch more. J u s t r emember tha t wood

adds a great deal more weight. Wood can

be affixed either by strong wood glue, or

more easily, screws or bolts.

For the handles, remember that plexiglass is a hard surface and you will want

pad ding u n der the place where your a rm will go. Leath er strap s or ropes can b e eas ily

affixed by tyin g them th rou gh h oles m ad e with a dr ill. Again , wood helps t o add s ta bility on

th e poin ts wh ere your h an dles conn ect to th e plexiglas s.

Two giant plexiglass shields envelop police in Italy, March 17, 2001.


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Hard foam core s hield:

One of th e more difficult to m ake b u t longest last ing an d versati le constru ction m eth-

ods is to us e firm foam core boards , possibly wrap ped with fiberglas s. Thes e can be m ade

to an y desired size an d th icknes s. Plu s, th e foam core is eas y to carve, allowin g you to s h ape

roun ded edges int o it .

Construction:

Foam core is m ost easily obta ined a s blu e in su lation foam b oards t ha t are s old chea p-ly at h ard ware stores in th icknes ses u su ally u n der an inch. Purch as e enou gh to allow for

dou ble or triple layers. Make su re th e plas tic covering it comes with is rem oved too. After

you cut th e sh ape, be i t circu lar, tower or the l ike, u se a glu e or liqu id cemen t to sa nd wich

layers togeth er.

If you wish t o ma ke you r sh ield m ore du rab le an d n ot su bject to cracking in ha lf u pon

first impact, consider epoxying an added layer of fiberglass cloth to the front. Most glues

wont st ick well to foam core an d fiberglass , so a m ixed epoxy is n ecessa ry. Th is is obta in -

able at an y ha rdware or hom e goods store, us u ally as a u to or boat repair kits . Mak e sure

you k n ow th e sizes needed ah ead of t im e. This sh ould be cu t after you h ave sh aped a nd

roun ded your foam core. Then epoxy along the edges an d center an d atta ch one to bothfront a nd back. You can tr im extra cloth a fter al l h as d ried.

At this point your handles can be attached. You will probably need a drill, or a

corkscr ew to dig ou t a firm h ole. Th is style sh ould be thick enou gh to accom m odat e firm

meta l ha n dles with s crews an d wing nu ts as well as s imp le ropes. Remem ber tha t since th is

is a firm shield, you will want protection for your knuckles or a groove in the shield where

you r kn u ckles would be placed.

Im provis ed back pack sh ield:

In a pinch, simply placing a flat piece of plywood, layered cardboard or tagboard in an oth-

erwise empt y backp ack can ma ke a sm all sized two-ha nd ed sh ield. Th e idea is to maxim izethe surface area, which should garner you something approximating 15" x 12" given an

average backp ack s ize. You will h ave to rem emb er to cu t th e board (s) down to a size tha t

fits before the day of action.

Th e add ed advan ta ge of th is is its com plete concealab ility. Apa rt from th e rough cor-

ners , it would be ha rd to ju dge wha t you r ba ckpack is tru ly going to be us ed for to an ou t-

side obs erver. Th e downs ides a re pretty clear th ou gh. Not only is th e sh ield of sm all size,

th e strap s are too large to be very pra ctical to us e in a on e-han ded ma nn er. One way to

remedy this is to use a piece of soft rope or another non-chaffing material and wrap your

forearm in p lace on th e backpack s t rap . Otherwise , use th e backpack in a two-han ded ma n-

ner.

Othe r shield concepts :

All in all, most anything can easily become a shield so long as you adapt it to your lik-

in g. Th ere are some ma terials you would wish to avoid, su ch as wood du e to its weight. Also

metal, specifically lightweight aluminum seems like an immediate choice, it is expensive,

very diff icult to work with and can be painful to the bearer should i t wind up jabbed back


14/24

into your face.

Yet a n ything you th ink th at will be lightweigh t, firm a n d ea sy to a ffix h an dles to will work

fine. An old th u mb tack b oard or plastic tabletop you m ight find in th e tras h wou ld do fine.

Sh ield cons tru ction is al l ju st a m atter of th e t ime you a re willing to pu t in i t , or du m b luck

as per wha t you migh t fin d.

O t h e r E q u i p m e n t

Helmets:

Helm ets a re a cr itical pa rt of an y defens ive tactic, be it a s h ield wall or a s im ple an d open

direct action where atta ck is a ma jor r isk. As p olice forces h ave regu larly demon stra ted th atth ey do not follow their own gu idelines of avoiding blows t o th e h ead , a h elm et is an impor-

ta n t piece of protection.

Unfortu n at ely a helmet is too tricky a p iece of equ ipm ent t o ma ke ap propr iat ely, th at you

will ha ve to a cquire someth ing p re-mad e.

The most basic helmet with the minimal amount of protection is a construction hat .

These can usually most simply be found in a toy store, provided they are large enough.

Wad ded n ewspa per in side will h elp soften blows. Th e n ext eas iest h elm ets to acqu ire are

bike or motorcycle ones. Thrift stores should have a selection of these, but otherwise they

ar e a little expen sive.

The u lt ima te option, al thou gh quite con spicuou s in tra ns porting are m ilitary helmets.

Modern h elmets are m ade fromKevlar meant to stop a bullet .

These are extremely costly and

not necessary . Wha t can be

acqu ired qu ite cheaply are su r-

plus st eel h elm ets, often of for-

eign m ake, th at a re sold in m il-

itary su rplus cata logs. Do a

web search for military su rplus

or militaria, or otherwise ask a

local army surplus store forcatalogs.

For personal protection a

solid helmet is probably the

most important th ing one can

bring to a demonstration after

a gas ma sk .

Helmets, cadboard and life-jackets make up the body armor in this Italian march.

Tip: Is you r fou n d-object sh ield too sm all? A garba ge can t ower sh ield migh t not fu lly

extend down you r legs - a choice place for police to fire an d b ouce p rojectiles a t. A sm all

one or two foot extent ion of plexiglas s ca n b e screwed into th e bottom of you r sh ield. To

ma ke su re th at th e plexiglas s d oesnt s na p a t first imp act, consider bolt ing pieces of 2x2

wood down the sides for added durability.


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Im provis ed body armor:

For body arm or, we are ba sically ju st talking a bout pad ding an d forms of wearing i t .

Homema de cha in m ail is n ice, but too costly and t ime cons u ming to cons tru ct for the a ver-

age protester . There a re two basic varian ts of body protection th at ca n be emp loyed, or there

is th e more complicated s egmen ted a rm or described later.

Th e firs t is simp ly added layers of cloth in g. A few pairs of long u n derwear , sweat s u its

or an extra h eavy coat can go a long way to soften a blow. Th e ma in d raw ba ck here is th e

impeded movement at the joints and the fact that you will be sweating like a pig for most ofth e t ime.

Oth er item s can b e im provised th at a re not norm ally worn. For exam ple, life preserver

vests work wond erfu lly as a stron g pad ding over your ch est an d ba ck. Footba ll an d other

sports pad ding is obvious ly an other option.

Basic body armor:

Th e next step in body arm or is affixed pa dd in g. Th e best m at erial for this is foam

pad ding, which sh ould be available at h obby stores, or at a p lace tha t sells pa cking m ateri-

als . Even den sely rolled newspa pers or clothes can work.If you ha ve enou gh m aterial, a m ake s hift su it can be m ade s imp ly by wrapping por-

t ions a n d tap in g th em together with d u ct tape. Otherwise the best option is to cover your

most exposed an d vu lnera ble par ts . Thes e wou ld be you r arms , chest an d back. After that ,

cover your legs an d stom ach area. If you lack a h elmet th ough, th e first th in g you s h ould

do is tape a few pieces to your head, provided you value your skull more than the fear of

lookin g like an idiot. If you ar e u sing a large sh ield a n d feel prett y secu re, cons ider still

pad ding your u pper ba ck side and arm s for they can s t ill be stru ck if you are a ttacked from

the s ides .

To keep th e pad ding better in place, consider affixin g it to a n u n dersh irt , th en wear-

ing an other p iece of clothin g over th at . Add itiona lly, scour th rift stores for u sed s ports p ad s.

Cheap sh in p ads can u su ally fit h igh u p on you r arm s, an d other items su ch as foam sp lin tswork as improvised armor as well.

Lorica S egm en tata:

Keeping in s tep with our reversion to an cient techn ologies we can fin d a cheap mea ns

of ma king segmented body arm or. The segmenta tion m ean s th at you d on't have to be adept

in s ha ping parts or even being very carefu l, for you can atta ch n ew pa rts a s n eeded. This

also allows for a d egree of versa tility to only cover certa in body pa rts th at you m ay th ink a re

critical.

Lorica Segmentata, which basically means a hardened and segmented sheath for the

body, is simplest to construct using hard and thick, but cheap and st i l l malleable plastic.

A good source for plastic that is pre-shaped with a curvature are pickle buckets, l ike the

kind tha t can be taken from th e du mps ter of a McDonald 's .

Firs t of all, prioritize th e type of ar m or you t h in k you'll n eed. As a sh ield bea rer, you

will proba bly wan t pr otection for your u pp er sh ield a rm (s). Followin g tha t, covering for you r

other arm a nd th en both shoulders is importan t . From th ere the chest and backside are

should follow given the amount of material you have.


16/24


17/24

Understand your target and your position

The p olice are mu ch ea sier to predict th an most people fear. Too often, th e para n oia

of being s u rrou nd ed occurs in si tua tions where th e police are fair ly stat ic in th eir p osit ions .

Is you r tar get a bu ildin g th at th e police are su rrou n ding in fu ll force? Have th ey left th estreets outs ide of th at perimiter free to protesters or do th ey have rovin g colu mn s ready to

st rike? Have you com pleted you r objective of blocka ding a con feren ce an d th e police are tr y-

ing to break th rough you r forma tions? Are you ju st h aving a sponta n eou s street party and

don t k n ow when , if or wh ere th e police will sh ow?

Ans wers to th ese qu estions seem simple an d obvious , yet too often mobile protesters

do not h ave a clear p ictur e of wha t th e situ ation is l ike an d comm u n ication h as broken d own

too mu ch. Iss u es like this are what drove armies to h ave set heirarchies thou sa nd s of years

ago, an d in th e fram ework of avioding s et leaders h ip, comm u n ication is our only an swer.

Before the da y of action, you sh ould alread y kn ow wha t to expect. Also pa y at ten tion

to what th e police are int ending to do or wha t extent th ey want to go to. Is i t a city that ha ssworn off u sing projectiles? Is th e event you a re demons trating at , su ch as a n ou tdoor

swearing-in ceremony, a place where the

police ar e afraid to u se tear gas? Have pr e-

vious police actions demonstrated their

intention to make sweeping arrests or do

they only pick off stragglers?

Wh ile its critical to always be on you r t oes

and never trust the police to operate in a

certain way, there are always warning

sign s you can look for. If an em pty bu s

appears , then you can expec t sweepar rest s. If a squ ad of bike police disap -

peared in an other direction, they are prob-

ably ou t to out flan k you.

Conversely, a lways be r ead y to exploit you r

own su ccesses . Too often pro t e s t e r s ,

unready for a success or a hasty police

retreat will merely remain in place and not

seize th eir gain s. Stickin g you r n eck too

far out can be dangerous , but thats when

its crutial to have the protection of the masses following up behind.

Movem en t in a s hield w all

For typical movement when not immediately in a confrontational position, you should

st ill be at th e ready. Tra ditiona lly defens ively awa re ma rch ers h ave lin ked ar m s to preven t

individu als from being na bb ed. Wh ile carryin g a sh ield in a wa ll forma tion , the th reat of

th is is probably mu ch less . But if n ecess ary, persons u sing one-arm ed sh ields can u se th eir

Police in Philadelphia split up protesters, August 1, 2000.


18/24

free arm to gras p th e sh ield a rm of th e adjacent pers on. This becomes problematic with dif-

ferent-h an ded people however. Fu rth ermore, this tactic shou ld n ot be emp loyed when in a

confrontation so as to allow freedom of movement for the shields.

The critical aspect to moving in any shield wall formation is unison. While demonstra-

tors would discourage any individual to marshal a march, a form of organization is neces-

sa ry. Unless it is poss ible to prepare an d pra ctice these tactics a hea d of t ime, th e best way

is the use of simple commands that can be shouted (examples below), including warnings

of wha t is a hea d for those who can n ot see.

For keeping t ight in a march at any pace, the best method is a drum near the front (adru m m er in t h e ba ck wont k n ow what is goin g on well en ou gh) or th e calling off of st eps

("1, 2, 1, 2...). Given th at m ost m ar chin g rou tes will be pre-determ ined, directions s h ould

not be a major factor - apart from the tendency to lose formation when making turns.

Sh ould t h e sh ield wa ll be freely roam in g or h ave loosely laid plan s, ca lling out for slow tu rn s

is important ahead of time, especially since intersections are where a shield wall or any

ma rch is m ost vu lnerable to ambu sh .

Scouting

A system of scouts is critical to effectively moving a shield wall, especially when it isu nk nown wh ere confronta tion is to be expected. Th is does n ot necessitate a series of out-

post n ecess ari ly, al thou gh th at would be u sefu l as well. Wh at a m obile sh ield wall needs is

eyes, which sh ould be on at least a ll fou r corners of th e ma rch . Bicyclists or poss ible reg-

u lar -lookin g pedestr ian scou ts ca n cover th eir own a n gle of view an d opera te h alf of a b lock

to a full block ahead watching their respective side. Communications should be kept with

one or more people in the shield wall - presumably in the second row - who are known by

others to be in tou ch with th e scout s s o tha t th ey will be given some p riority in emergency

si tuat ions .

Proper scouting afield can also relay information concerning vehicular movements, such

as extra police units arriving in APC's, cars or vans. Another good warning sign is empty

buses used for detaining large numbers of protesters.If there are multiple targeted locations where the march is trying to head (such as try-

ing to breech the perimeter preventing access to a public area), scouts are crucial as to

informing which location would be best given shifts in the police strengths.

Barriers

Metal inter-locked b ar riers are

the typical means of blockading

ma rches by th e police. When a

shield wall approaches a barrier i t

must be opened or knocked down

prior to pen etra tion by th e wall. If

police protection of the barrier is

minimal, people in the back rows

should be called ahead to remove

the barriers so that the shield wall

does n ot lose its cohes ion in th e act . Protesters appropriate metal barriers in Cincinnati on November 16, 2000.


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If police are presen t beh in d th e barr ier an d s afe from a n ad van ce, the sh ield wall sh ould

ad van ce close enou gh so tha t people reach in g from with in th e wall can p u ll it down. If th e

police resist th e movemen t of a bar rier , persons in th e sh ield wall sh ould try to advan ce so

that their shields extend over the barriers protecting hands that are pull ing i t down and

kn ockin g away th ose of th e police.

S plitting form ations

The ten dency for demons trat ors to seek safety in n u mb ers som etimes preclu des wise tac-t ical decisions . When sa fety is ju st as gu ara nt eed with your m arch split in two, th an it

would be almost foolish not to split into two shield-wall covered marches that keep in con-

tact . Simp ly pu t, a sh ield wall of 100 0 people ru sh ing a ba rricade on a street th at is 60 feet

wide will probably leave some 800 people standing around not helping because of a lack of

spa ce. Your odds improve the more th e police are thinn ed and cau ght by su rprise.

Th e mos t effective th in g a sh ield wall can do is con fu se a u th orities as to th e in ten t of th e

ma rch. To tha t end h aving one or more factions split u p a nd tak e different rou tes will th row

a p olice operation into disa rra y. Becau se th e police are res tricted to followin g ran king offi-

cers an d th eir comm an ds (at least wh ile ma neu verin g) if your ma rch s plits wh ile the s ha d-

owing police force only has one officer among itself, it cannot break in two to follow bothgroups .

A sh ield wa ll sh ou ld con sider th e poss ibility of sp littin g up ta ctically on ly when th ere are

enou gh sh ields . Th is can be ju dged kn owin g if form in g a tes tu do lat er on migh t be critical,

bu t if n ot, th an only a few rows of sh ields a nd t he perimeter and r ear grou ps a re needed. A

m as s of 100 0 sh ields isn 't goin g to be an y m ore effective as a s h ield wall th an 50 0. Keep in

m ind if you m ight end u p in a n open spa ce like a squ are or a pa rk where th e poten tial width

of you r wall m ay ha ve to grow or you r den sity of sh ield m igh t be import an t to defen d a gainst

flank attacks.

Kn owin g wh en t o split u p a lso depen ds on th e local situ at ion , bu t is defin itely m ost effec-

t ive when tr ying to breech a p erimeter th at h as mu ltiple entry point s. The police work on a

system of reser ves, sen ding more officers to poin ts th at m ay be or are in trou ble. So if twobar ricades a re ru sh ed simu ltan eously, the ch an ces of one or both s u cceedin g is s ignifican t-

ly h igh er.

Th e ma in qu estion is th en, when can you split? A good ru le of th u mb for safety with a

m ar ch is tha t ther e are enou gh people to cover slightly m ore th an one city block. Th is is

n ecess ary to prevent being boxed in from two int ersections a t once. If n u mb ers are doub le

th is, th an split t in g u p is not only feasible bu t a very sma rt m ove. Also, keep in m in d th at

th e odds of gett ing boxed in a tra p a re greatly lessen ed when th ere are, sa y, th ree ma rches

walking along different streets as the police have far more repositioning to do and are prob-

ab ly sp read too th in if th ey didn 't expect you r m ove. Multiple shield walls roa m ing a city

also provide far better coverage for affinity groups that may wish to perform more danger-

ous operat ions .

Retreat

So should a si tuation come to this and the possibil i ty of arrest or extreme caution

becomes n ecess ary, it might be t ime to beat a retreat .

Historically, retreating arm ies su ffer th e worst losses. The sam e is tru e in demon -


20/24

stra tions when people break an d ru n in fear. While th ere is no real pra ctical mea ns of

teach in g people to avoid this pan ic, a few cool h ead s can sa ve th e da y. Th e first critical

th in g a person can d o in th is si tua tion is to yell "Don't ru n!" as th e first fear sh ould be

stampeding other people - a horrible and demoralizing possibility.

The sh ield wall th en in the frontl ine mu st act to play rear gu ard , which can be done

by walking backwar ds at a good pace. If needed, a one-armed sh ield holder can b race him

or hers elf by gab bing the a rm o the pers on n ext to th em. Callin g ou t with "Hold the line!"

ma y also h elp in keeping cohesion.

Th is sh ou ld also provide ph ysical an d visu al coverage for th ose who m ay h aveta ken "illegal" act ion s an d are a tar get for police forces . It als o will pr ovide grou n ds for

those that find it critical to use projectiles to stem the police onslaught.

Th is type of si tua tion is th e most difficult to ma inta in cohesion du ring, bu t argua bly

th e m ost importa n t. If individu al police officers ar e allowed into protes ter lines, th ey will

begin arres tin g an d beating th ose par t icu lars . A sh ield wall th at is ma in tained can sa ve

scores - bu t a lways rema in wary of bein g boxed in at s u ch t imes .

A scout in the rear can be used to determine which direction the retreat should take

as well as to observe when it is safe to stop.


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S e t t i n g u p y o u r f or m a t i o n s

The only way to guarantee maximum effectiveness of the variety of shields and body

armor employed is that every affinity group uses similar equipment as much as possible.

Since rows a re set u p of one or m ore affinity group s m arch ing together a nd it is in n o one's

interest to break up affinity groups, it would be foolish to have some people in your group

arrive with m as sive sh ields, a n d others with ju st a helmet.

Once converging, everyone participating in shield wall formations can agree among

each group as to wh o goes wh ere. Groups with inn er tu be or tower sh ields will be u rged to

be n ear th e front or a t least h ighly exposed. Rememb er th is isn t a demon stra tion of h eroics

- it is a matter of practicality as to which affinity groups are in the front because they are

h elping to defend the entire ma rch. By visu al consen su s it sh ould not be ha rd to deter-

mine who sh ould posit ion thems elves where, u nless certain group s do n ot feel comfort-

able n ear the front. Remem ber tha t DIY equipmen t is ma de to be disposa ble, and s wapping

equipmen t m ight be an imp ortan t fu n ction of solidar ity even if you labored for h ours on yourpar ticular s h ield.

F o r m a t i o n s

Wedge Charge

Th is meth od, requiring m u ch coordina tion

is derived from a clas sic Viking m eth od of cha rg-

in g. It requires a good dea l of disciplin e, n ot to

men tion a n awfu l lot of coura ge on th e par t of th e

person in front. This method also requires th e

space to mak e for a n ear ru nn ing charge to pro-

vide m axim u m disarra y an d psychological int im-

idation against opponents.

A wedge will h a ve one or two per son s in

front, u sing th e two-ha nd ed meth od with as

large a s h ield a s p ossible. Th e two lines t h at fol-

low to the right and left of the focal point slight-

ly angle their shields to the outside direction.

Once in p osit ion a coun tdown to a cha rge sh ould

be given and the charge should be made a t aquick pace of short steps to keep tight, as full sprinting will lose cohesion.

The wedge works by focusing on one point and pressing upon it while the two angled

sides deflect forces attem ptin g to aid the on e point an d widening th e breech . It also keeps

a degree of cohes ion for th ose attem pting to brea k th rou gh. A n orm al flat lin e of at ta ck ma y

open a hole in one or two places, but they are diff icult to expand upon and to even notice

for reinforcements to converge upon.

Anoth er ad van tage of th e wedge is th at if a p erson in th e lead is a bout to be na bbed,

A classic v-shaped viking wedge formation.


22/24

th ere is imm ediate su pport behind him or her to pu ll th em back away from arrest . It is

th en critical to rem ain close to the pers on in fron t of you . A wedge n eed not be more th an

7-11 persons a cross or abou t 4 persons deep. Extra bodies can be us ed to fill the in side of

the wedge, and form a solid l ine behind i t - al though at the ready to push through the

breech.

Pulse charge

This is an other m ethod th at ta kes discipline, an d plan ning ah ead of t ime. It proba blyis too com plicated t o be cons idered , bu t its includ ed for the concept a n yhow. Th e pu lse, as

th e na me implies is a s eries of quick an d sh ort engagemen ts th at a re ju st a s qu ickly broken

off. This sh ould work to th row the police off balan ce and catch t hem by su rprise when th e

real pus h is m ade. If pre-arra nged, su ch th at 3 pu lses will occu r before the real press, th en

simple shou tin g comm an ds will work.

The difficulty is being able to disengage - as people behind you may not be aware of

you r m eth ods. A poss ible effective ma n n er is to us e only one lin e of sh ields , ha ving a few

people beh ind to as k the rest of th e crowd to wait u n til th e fin al real cha rge. Oth erwise,

th is is prob ab ly a m ove too difficu lt to coordina te.

The Eche lon Cha rge

Similar in effect to the wedge, but easier to set up, the echelon also works in a defen-

sive ma nn er. It is s et up su ch th at a given wing of th e sh ield wall is extended a hea d, slop-

ing down to the other side of the wing, like the shape of a guillotine blade. Each person

sta nd s s lightly behind an d to th e side of th e person in front.

The principle behind this tactic is to turn the flank of a cordon of police and execute

a b reakth rough t here. Trad it iona lly, this is done on th e r ight wing of th e sh ield wall, tu rn -

ing the left wing of the police formation and for the sake of preparation, it is a good idea to

keep this as a sta nd ard - u nless th e police h ave cau ght on of cours e. To add to the effect

of pressing one corner of the opposing line, the weight of added bodies should be added toth is s ide.

In effect , the one edge pu sh es th rough on one corner, tu rn ing th e flan k while the other

end of th e echelon a dvances enou gh to keep those police at bay. Hence the weigh t pu sh es

th rough one s ide a nd th e other wing of th e police is h elpless to come

to their aid. Th is m eth od not only brea ks t h e police lin e, it also boxes

them in to a degree, forcing a very disorganized withdraw on their

point . Th e confu sion s h ould be enou gh to deter the police from press -

ing you r weak ened left wing.

Alternately, if an echelon is too difficult to form, a simple straight

line with added weight to one side can have a similar effect.

Tortoise or Testudo

Th e tortoise form at ion is th e essen ce of th e sh ield wall. Now wh ile

typical advancements may only require a front row of shields, the tor-

toise format ion a im s to protect both th e front a n d th e top from ra ining

projectiles su ch a s tear gas can isters . A t igh t wall above an d in theA simple tortoise formation.


23/24

front can also protect against direct spray i tems such as pepper spray nozzles and water

cannons .

Tradition al tortoise forma tion d ictat es th at t h e firs t row of sh ields lay th eirs a t groun d

level while the second row reaches over the shoulders of the first at an angle to double the

front protection while then th e third and s u bsequ ent rows protect the top. Additionally

members on the side would protect the f lanks if nec-

essary .

As the tortoise was employed for protection

against arrows a nd javelins in an tiqu ity, it is only cru -cial today in s itua tion s of situ ations where p olice pro-

jectiles ar e thr own. As it is n at u ra lly a s low m ovin g

formation, it is not recommended for actions in

defens e agains t ba ton s for th e loss in visibility in fin d-

ing gaps among the police lines.

For the purposes here, a formation with one

fron t row of sh ields an d th e rem aind er pr ovidin g ceil-

in g su pport sh ou ld su ffice. As moving fas t in var iab le

develops cracks in the formation, move to a slow

rh ythm or the ch an t of "1, 2, 1, 2..." A ta ctical objec-tive of the Tortoise is to get close enough to police

rounds to render projectile weapons ineffective. This

will relieve protestors in the rear of the need for flight.

Immediately once contact is made with the police

lines, the tortoise should break into supportive rows

of frontal shields aimed at defending each other

against ba ton blows.

Square

This defensive tactic, or a loose derivative of it should be employed when you have asingle posit ion to defend a gains t im minen t at ta ck, and you r nu mb ers are rath er sma ll. This

can arise typically when trying to block the path of vehicles in a spontaneous move.

The tradit ional square was a formation the Brit ish Imperial armies would use to

defend from m as sed cavalry attacks. For ou r pu rposes, it works to prevent or at least pro-

long arrest even when su rroun ded or when in jectin g yours elves into a compr omisable posi-

tion.

The squ are is sim ply set to face arou nd a point with you r sh ields ou t. As you are

imm obile, kn eelin g will pr ovide a sm aller spa ce for th e police to try to cra ck. In r eality, you

will probably end up with more of a circular formation than an actual square, but the idea

is th e sam e. And if you ha ppen to fin d a s tockpile of mu skets , what th e hell, ha ve a go at

it .

Extrem e s elf-de fens e tactics

Wh en facing an opposing force th at is h ell ben t on brea king laws an d violating

you r righ ts by vicious ly at ta cking you, a n y code of self-defen se allows for extreme m eas -

u res. By th is we mea n to includ e th e th rowing of projectiles an d u se of b lu dgeon weapons

Riot police advancing in a tortoise formation.


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body hammer tactics-self-defence for the modern protester

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