Guide to organising a peace vigil

At the time of writing this, one man has been standing vigil every evening for a year outside the Houses of Parliament. Millions of people will have seen his cornucopia of signs and placards in several languages, including without doubt every Member of Parliament, every political journalist and also the Prime Minister. Many will reject his messages, and perhaps the man himself, but all will have been challenged to do so by his presence alone. For many of the rest of us, he is a welcome presence for peace. We will be glad that he cares enough to be there and gain some hope that his message is challenging the world. It's a simple, essential and very visible one: "Peace, shalom, salaam!"

Why organise a peace vigil?

A peace vigil is a way of expressing a commitment to peace visibly in the world. Many of us feel a need to do this, especially at times of acute international crisis.

Peace vigils do not - by themselves - stop wars or transform the structures of violence. They are valuable as a visible presence and part of a culture of peace.

• A peace vigil manifests peace in the world - it is a space in the world that denies violence.
• It enables those who feel a need to express a commitment to peace to do so.
• It proves that peace is possible, even if only in the small space we stand together.
• It communicates a peace message to many who would not otherwise know of it.
• It challenges others to ask their own questions about their part in war and peace.
• It adds to the swell of public opinion opposing war and in support of peace.
• It offers hope that there are people committed to peace and nonviolence. 
• It demonstrates to the world that the commitment to peace is one with courage of conviction.
• It invites others to dialogue about war and peace.
• It transforms us into locally active, global citizens.
• It brings together people in a community of shared purpose and makes new friends of strangers.

Today, there are regular peace vigils in many towns and cities across the country and at other locations such as military bases. Known vigils are currently listed at http://www.peaceexchange.org.uk/ [offsite link]

Organising a peace vigil

First step - a core group

A vigil is a peace community. Although the initiative to establish a vigil may be that of an individual, its life depends on a sense of community and shared purpose. For this reason, some vigils are led by a particular group or are even exclusively for that group, for example a women only vigil. Other vigils are open to all. Think about the kind of vigil you want.

You will need to find a few people who are committed to turning up each time. There may be others like you looking for others to vigil with in local groups, especially political or religious groups. For example, there may be a local Green Party, CND group, Quaker Meeting, or Churches Together group that you could contact via the phone book or local library. The continuation of vigils often depends on the initiative of just a few people, sometimes just one, to inspire others to join in.

Second step - the nature of the vigil

A silent vigil is visibly peaceful and mindful. Vigillers normally stand in a line in silence, often with candles held in jars. One or two people may be designated in advance to collect signatures on a petition, distribute leaflets or talk with anyone who approaches. A single banner may read "Vigil for peace" or "No more war". 

A leafleting vigil is visibly political and the emphasis is on engaging the public in dialogue. Most people distribute leaflets, collect signatures or talk with passers-by. Often, large banners are used to communicate political messages.

Third step - practicalities

Make sure your venue is visible. It might be on private property with permission from the owner, for example on a church's steps, or on the public street itself. Bear in mind that those organising a vigil are legally responsible for it. You must not block or limit access to any thoroughfare or otherwise cause a nuisance, for your vigil may be stopped and you may risk prosecution. Collecting money on the streets may be considered a nuisance by local authorities. According to the civil rights group Liberty, under the Public Order Act 1986 there is no power to ban a public assembly altogether, and no advance notice need be given of any public assembly. You may wish to inform your local council that you intend to hold a vigil, especially if it is expected to be large, however the attitudes of local authorities to vigils vary, as they do for example to street buskers, and many local authorities turn a blind eye. Local authorities often request that organisers obtain public liability insurance, however many vigils take place without this provision. For more information about the right of public assembly and protest visit http://www.yourrights.org.uk/ 

A generally manageable duration for a vigil is one hour - any less and people may not feel it is worth turning up, any more and the commitment may be too much for some.  The best time to arrange a vigil may be in the evening rush hour from 5.30-6.30pm or on Saturday afternoon after lunch during the busy shopping period.

The frequency of vigils will depend on the energy available. Beware of over-committing yourselves. A one-off vigil may be enough for your group, otherwise make your vigils at regular times and avoid cancellations. Generally, a weekly vigil is manageable as long as there is a core group of five or six,. Some have managed to keep daily vigils over long periods, whereas others meet monthly. At the time of writing, a daily vigil in Bristol has continued without break for a year and a monthly peace vigil in Ambleside has met over two hundred consecutive months.

Fourth step - props

A collection of candles in jars is easily acquired and can have a striking effect at evening vigils.
You will need at least one banner or placard that explains your basic message. This can be as simple as an A1- or A2-sized poster stuck to a piece of hardboard. A banner-making session can be a fun precursor to the vigil. Think carefully about your you will appear to the public. Be aware that some stock peace images, for example doves, may appeal negatively to public prejudices about peace campaigners.

A petition can give vigillers something to engage the public with and enable passers-by to register their belief in peace and so be involved. They are often available from a national organisation - see the attached sheet for a list of contacts - or you can make your own for use locally, for example to hand to your MP. If writing your own petition, keep your message simple - passers-by may not have time to read more than one or two lines - and include a request of the intended recipient. For example: "We, the undersigned, oppose all Government subsidies for the arms trade. We ask our MP, [name], to call for a full debate in Parliament on ending arms trade subsidies." Also consider adding a column to tick for more information about the issue but bear in mind that following this up will involve you in extra work and cost money. Remember that if you are organising your own petition you will need to arrange a hand-in, ideally with publicity. For local petitions, try to gather over one thousand signatures before the hand-in, rather than just a few hundred, otherwise the impression made can be a poor one. With a national petition, even just a few signatures are valuable because the numbers accumulate from local action nationwide. Always photocopy the completed sheets before sending them off. Examples of good petitions are included in this pack.

Leaflets communicate to the public a coherent message concisely. They can be acquired from a national organisation or you can make your own. If designing your own, include your basic message and what you are asking the reader to do, for example, "Write to your MP raising your concern," or "Join our silent vigil." Think about the essentials of your message - your 'big idea'. Avoid using lists of statistics and above all avoid ranting. A leaflet can be designed easily on one or two sides of A4 and reduced using a photocopier to A5. Think about layout - many people will only read three or four words on a leaflet before throwing it away, especially if the leaflet looks shabby. Think about the three or four most important words and make these the biggest on the page. Consider carefully whether you want to include a contact address and what for. Examples of good leaflets are included in the hard-copy version of this pack.

Consider other ways to make your presence distinctive. For example, you might want to ask vigillers to wear black (or bright colours) and bring no placards so that you can unite under a single banner.

Be sure to involve others when creating banners, petitions and leaflets etc. - it helps the group to own and take responsibility for the vigil.

Fifth step - publicity

Once the details about the vigils have been decided and the materials are ready, the final step is to publicise the vigil as widely as possible. Look in particular to local religious, socialist, environmental and human rights groups for interest. Also let the local newspaper and radio know. Quaker Peace & Social Witness can list your vigil details alongside others on their web site www.peaceexchange.org.uk/. 

When publicising your vigil, emphasise that your presence is a peaceful one and explain any other arrangements. For example, if your vigil is open to all, silent or explicitly religious, make sure people know that before they arrive.

Being in a peace vigil

Being there

The prospect of emerging from the anonymous crowd and standing in the middle of town with a peace banner may feel daunting. Any apprehension is likely to disappear quickly once you feel the presence of others around you and the power of your stand. Many find that being part of a peace vigil is a special and sometimes moving experience.

Dialogue with passers-by

It may be useful to bear in mind these observations when considering how to engage passers-by:

1. Make good use of any petition, leaflets etc. in helping to get dialogue off to a good start.
2. Be clear with yourself what your message is. Are you seeking to discuss government policy, humanitarian concern, or a philosophical or spiritual conviction? In particular, be clear about what you are for, not just what you are against.
3. No-one needs to be an expert to express their concern, however political dialogue requires some preparation in the basic facts around the issue. A four-page backgrounder distilling the main arguments is easily obtainable from a national organisation (see contacts sheets included in this pack) and often enough to ground yourself in the issue concerned.
4. The best of political arguments is worth only 7% of your communication - the rest is nonverbal. You will impress any passer-by most by manifesting a forthright trustworthiness and a readiness to listen as well as speak. Listen to and acknowledge their concerns and views. Only in this way will you establish an equal relationship. Even if the passer-by disagrees with you they will still respect you and your point of view and keep an open mind.
5. Passers-by may stop simply to lecture you. Be mindful to be true to yourself and your views and beware of being subjected to a verbal tirade. Don't allow yourself to be stripped of what you are standing there for - peace. You may wish to agree to differ and leave it there. After all, we cannot change other people's minds - only they can do that!
6. It is possible to have a strong conviction about what seems right and still acknowledge the complexity of a political situation. Be ready to be humble - and humbled!

Dealing with different approaches to being in a vigil

A vigil belongs to everyone in it and is a place where individuals can be themselves. Some people will energetically try to persuade passers-by of their point of view, others will simply want to be a quiet peace presence. These differences of approach are not necessarily unhelpful. Beware of assuming that organisers of a vigil can control the behaviour of others by imposing strict rules of their own making. Where the behaviour of a person seems genuinely problematic for the vigil as a whole, it may be the result of misunderstanding the purpose of the vigil and a quiet word amongst the vigillers can often resolve any difficulties. Otherwise, a shared approach may be negotiated between the vigillers.

Dealing with ranters and abusive public

A vigil meets with all sorts of responses, including approval in the form of hooting horns and thumbs-up, as well as occasional heckling from those with opposing views held as strongly as you hold yours. Occasionally, you will meet ranters or taunters expressing deliberately provocative views, such as those that are violently racist. Consider how you would respond, if at all, to someone openly advocating the bombing of Muslims, for example. Question the temptation to retaliate with a rant of your own.

Occasionally, a peace vigil is confronted with threatening behaviour from a passer-by. Incidents like these appear to be rare, yet it is worth thinking about how you would deal with them, as well as any trauma it may give rise to among vigillers. Communicate your thoughts on this to others as appropriate. If necessary, do not hesitate to dial 999 and ask for the police. 

Afterwards

Like all communities, a peace vigil needs to play as well as work, not least so that everyone can get to know each other and enjoy themselves. Consider making arrangements to enjoy tea together afterwards or inviting everyone to the pub.

Beyond the peace vigil

Your group may wish to take further action: Consider arranging coverage in your local newspaper, radio and television. Write to and arrange to meet with your MP. Consider devising an imaginative publicity stunt. Invite a sympathetic local celebrity to join you. Consider introducing music.

The last stand

The life cycle of a peace vigil depends on the amount of energy available for it. Some have lasted for many years, others only for the duration of an acute international crisis. Their end is not their failure - vigils succeed simply by existing - and the first is unlikely to be the last. New friends and contacts have been made, ideas shared, lessons learnt and all involved have been part of the peace.

DG 9/02

For further information about organising a peace vigil, contact:

Sam Walton, Quaker Peace & Social Witness, Friends House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.
tel: 020 7663 1067 email: disarm@quaker.org.uk
 

Materials and information

For leaflets, petitions, posters for banners and background information on topical peace issues, try the following:

General peace and anti-war protest

Active Resistance to the Roots of War
Dave Polden, ARROW, c/o 162 Holloway Road, London, N7 8DQ
T: 020 7607 2302
E: info@justicenotvengeance.org
W: http://www.j-n-v.org/

Movement for the Abolition of War
MAW, 11 Venetia Road, London N4 1EJ
T: 020 8347 6162
W: http://www.abolishwar.freeuk.com/

Network for Peace
Network for Peace, 5 Caledonian Road
London N1 9DX
T: 020 7278 3267
E: nfp@gn.apc.org
W: http://www.networkforpeace.org.uk/

Northern Friends Peace Board
NFPB, Victoria Hall, Knowsley Street,
Bolton BL1 2AS
T: 0845 458 3095
E: nfpb@gn.apc.org
W: www.gn.apc.org/nfpb

Quaker Peace & Social Witness
Peace & Disarmament Programme, QPSW, Friends House, London NW1 2BJ
T: 020 7663 1067
E: disarm@quaker.org.uk
W: www.quaker.org.uk/qpsw (includes vigils list)

Stop the War Coalition
StW Coalition, PO Box 3739, London E5 8EJ
T: 020 7053 2155/6
E: office@stopwar.co.uk 
W: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ (includes local groups listing)

Remembrance Day

Movement for the Abolition of War
See above.

Peace Pledge Union
Peace Pledge Union, 41b Brecknock Road
London N7 0BT
T: 020 7424 9444
E: enquiry@ppu.org.uk
W: http://www.ppu.org.uk/

Nuclear disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
CND, 162 Holloway Road, London, N7 8DQ
T: 020 7700 2393
E: enquiries@cnduk.org 
W: http://www.cnduk.org/

Abolition 2000 UK
Abolition 2000, c/o 162 Holloway Road,
London, N7 8DQ
E: A2000uk@gn.apc.org
W: mailto:abolition2000uk@gn.apc.org

Stop the arms trade

Campaign Against Arms Trade
CAAT, 11 Goodwin Street, London N4 3HQ
T: 020 7281 0297
E: enquiries@caat.demon.co.uk
W: http://www.caat.org.uk/

Conscientious objection to taxation for military purposes

Conscience - the peace tax campaign
Conscience, Archway Resource Centre,
1b Waterlow Road, London N19 6NJ
T: 0870 777 3223
E: info@conscienceonline.org.uk
W: http://www.conscienceonline.org.uk/