Welcome to The Protester's Web Guide.  It's an information source for activists fully engaged in today's struggle for social and economic justice. 

The inspiration to create something for activists came to me on the long bus trip home from the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) protests in Quebec City in April, 2001. It had been an extraordinary event in the lives of the 45+ young Winnipeg activists who took a 40 hour bus ride to participate in history and hopefully make the world a better, saner place. We were exhausted physically and emotionally. We had experienced incredible joy and incredible terror in the span of a few short days. Even in our exhausted state, we managed to fill the time discussing and debating what had just happened. Did we accomplish anything? What can we do better the next time? Which is better: violent action or non-violent action? How do I get the smell of CS gas out of my clothes? These were important questions and we wouldn't be satisfied until we found the answers.

That's it! We had questions and we wanted answers! Most importantly, we wanted to act and act effectively. Acting effectively begins with education in the art of political activism. If I was to make any kind of contribution to the anti-capitalist movement, it would be to share what I had learned from previous actions with people going to future actions.

Essentially, we had to gather the necessary information to make the trip, and then we had to gather the necessary supplies. The information came from a variety of sources and dealt with many issues like Free Trade, treatments for tear gas exposure, my rights if arrested and police and security measures. When we arrived, the education continued. There were several excellent workshops on legal matters, medical treatments and direct action. The learning process was never ending. This website is my contribution to this process.

The Protester's Web Guide was originally to be a book capturing all of these things.  I wanted to help other people prepare for major protests that have captured the world's attention. However, the publishing company I chose to produce the book suggested the Internet would be a better route to travel.  The greatest thing about a website is flexibility.  I can make changes to the guide when new ideas become available.  A book, once it's published, can't be changed, and the risk of it becoming dated is higher. 

This website shouldn't replace the process we need to go through in order to prepare ourselves. Other websites, books, magazines, films and audio tapes are also available. This website will provide links to some of them. I encourage you to find new and better information than what you find here. In fact, I encourage you to create better websites than this.

The focus will be on the preparation for the mass demonstrations but I think you can learn things from this website for small local political actions, as well.  Local activism is just as vital as the massive gatherings you've seen on CNN.  Think of this as a cookbook that lets you alter the recipe to suit your needs. Are you making chili for two people or two hundred people. Are you lobbying your city council for safe places for kids to play in or are you part of 60,000 people protesting globalization? This is what democracy is about. It means working actively to make the world a better, saner place, so don't let anyone tell you not to protest.  Do not ask for permission to be FREE!

Will Seymour