What not to do!
Do not engage in violence or physical destruction, even when confronted by authority figures (see side panel).
Do not cause severe traffic problems by blocking bridges, highways, and tunnels.
Do not engage in verbal assault on officers and even counter-protesters.
Do not engage in any form of looting. When looting occurs, film those conducting the looting from a safe distance so that you can demonstrate that the people responsible were not part of the protest.
Do not wear masks or carry objects such as sticks, clubs, rocks, etc.
Protests can take on narrowly defined issues such as voting rights for a minority or for women or they can be wider in scope such as calling for a change of government. For the latter, the ideal outcome is for something resembling the Velvet Revolutions in Czechoslovakia and Armenia where large, persistent gatherings often combined with acts of civil disobedience brought about the change desired.
The most iconic images from protests have arguably been acts of conscience that were also non-violent. When the violence (if any) is perpetrated by an authority against non-violent protestors, it will likely draw condemnation from external parties and increases political pressure on the oppressors. As soon as protesters resort to violence, the advantage is lost as it provides cover for the authoritarians use of force.
