Over the past couple of months, many organizations have been affected by coordinated and spontaneous protests, some resulting in civil unrest. This activity stemmed from a wide range of issues – the conflict in Gaza, elections, high prices due to inflation and social identity. There are many recent flashpoint issues that put employee safety and business continuity at risk for organizations of all sizes.
For example, the Gaza protests most closely associated with Columbia and other college campuses actually started days earlier at several companies as employees protested their organizations’ business relations with Israel and the military-industrial complex. Protests over price hikes have occurred at retailers like Starbucks, but also at manufacturers and distributors like Express Scripts. In the beginning of the year, Target and Bud Light continued to face right-wing protests for their LGBTQI+ inclusion marketing and policies. In other cases, executives have had their private residences targeted and vandalized – e.g., protestors vandalized the home of Brooklyn Museum Director Anne Pasternak, along with several other board members.
We’ve also seen an uptick in reported protests and civil unrest related to elections. Protest activity has been anticipated for both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Prior to the Republican National Convention (RNC), smaller business owners requested the protest zone near the RNC be moved further away from their locations. Likewise, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) is anticipating protest activity, particularly as it concerns the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Several rallies and a march to the DNC is reportedly planned.
The U.K. experienced nationwide protests following a mass stabbing in Southport. Most of these protests have focused on denouncing the knife attack. However, unauthorized demonstrations, fueled in part by misinformation online and frustration over the U.K. election results, have led to arson and vandalism targeting mosques and asylum centers.
As civil unrest becomes a bigger and more persistent threat to organizations, risk, security and business continuity professionals need to have a comprehensive risk preparedness and response plan in place. This should also include training and education for employees that guides them on how to stay safe in the event of civil unrest in their workplace or community.
How You Can Stay Safe When Encountering Protests
Experts at Crisis24 suggest the following advice for anyone who encounters civil unrest:
If Encountering a Demonstration While Driving:
1. If you see a gathering, rally or demonstration ahead of you, turn off the road as soon as possible, but ensure the road is not a dead end and you are able to maneuver around the gathering safely.
2. If you unexpectedly turn a corner and find yourself amongst demonstrators, remain calm. Ensure your doors are locked, keep the vehicle revs low and speed down so as not to draw additional attention.
3. If you are unable to drive away, it is recommended to park, lock the car and leave it. Take shelter in the nearest safe location.
4. If the crowd is upon you quicker than you anticipated, stop to the side and switch off the engine. Lock the doors and remain calm.
As a standard precaution, avoid all related demonstrations. Monitor local media for updates on protests. Allow additional time if traveling near demonstrations. Strictly heed all instructions from law enforcement officers. Immediately depart the area at the first sign of any security disturbance. - Crisis24
If Encountering a Demonstration While on Foot:
1. Remain calm. The demonstrators do not know who you are and will believe you are part of their protest. Be confident, but don’t draw attention to yourself.
2. Walk with the demonstrators and mimic the actions of the group, but slowly move to the edge of the crowd and stay away from the aggressors and ringleaders.
3. Look for a safe exit away from the crowd and slowly walk away; don’t run, as this will bring attention to you.
4. If you are caught up in the dense crowd, stay away from any glass shop windows and doors, stay firm on your feet and move with the flow until you are able to move in a safe direction.
5. Should you be mistaken by the police or security forces as a demonstrator and arrested, do exactly as they say and do not resist. Contact your embassy and company security manager for assistance.
5 Ways Organizations Can Build Resilience in the Face of Protests and Civil Unrest
Regardless of the reason for civil unrest, protests and demonstrations are a risk to employee safety and business continuity. In today’s rapidly changing environment, meeting the duty of care to employees and keeping operations running is complex. With the right technology in place, we can better prepare, detect, activate and recover from these types of events. Here are five ways organizations can build resilience in the face of protests and civil unrest:
1. Establish a process for internal communications with employees. Company employees do not always announce their intent to protest in advance. However, understanding what issues are arising in your organization and what employees are discussing is a great way to identify potential disruptions or planned protests. Furthermore, having a reporting mechanism in place for employees to report safety and security concerns is a great way to promote a culture of care and maintain improved situational awareness.
2. Proactively identify planned protests at or near your facilities. Recent events have made it clear that protests can happen at any time and for any reason. Sometimes they’re spontaneous, and other times they’re announced in advance. AI-powered risk intelligence ensures you receive accurate and relevant alerts about the incidents of civil unrest that have the potential to impact your people and operations. Automated notifications about emerging protest risks based on severity and location help risk, security and business continuity leaders make quick, informed decisions based on actionable information and real-time visibility. Consider reaching out to state and local authorities about being alerted to planned protests and related permitting. While not all protest organizers will coordinate with local authorities, large rallies and marches are often coordinated in advance.
3. Engage in simulations and tabletop exercises. Many organizations either have outdated plans or haven’t established scenario planning for specific threats like civil unrest. The reality is you can only know how good your plans are for today’s environment by actively running them to pressure test and identify gaps. Tabletop exercises let you assess your preparedness and test resilience in a simulated environment so improvements can be made before an actual protest occurs at or near one of your locations.
4. Leverage an incident hotline. As demonstrated by the Brooklyn Museum incident, protestors can target individual executives and employees, as well as organizations. Even a protest a few blocks from one of your facilities can pose a risk to employee safety, especially if it turns violent. Access to a 24-7-365 incident hotline lets your employees know their safety is a top priority. They can find out where the nearest hospital is or receive guidance on who to call should they have an urgent security concern around a protest or other threats.
5. Have a communications plan in place for any potential issues. The best time to create a crisis communications plan is before the crisis hits. Leaders should get ahead of any potential issues by identifying how they will communicate to employees if a protest or demonstration occurs, including what those employees should do if protestors are taking videos or asking them for comments. Get the right information to the right people at the right time with a mass notification system equipped with capabilities like geotargeting, two-way communication and multi-modal delivery.
The mission can feel daunting and the path forward unclear. If you’d like to continue this discussion, provide feedback or are looking for assistance, OnSolve is here to help.
