UK Protest against the Watch Tower

usualusername

Am very tempted. Just to see whats going on.........

If anyone in the UK needs more information, PM me for local contact information. The article mentioned above gives the time, location, and general instructions. It would be great if someone showed up with a video capable cell phone or camera. I'm sure there a many who might consider protesting at Memorial locations here in the US and Canada in support of our UK brothers and sisters.

JV

wha happened?

what is the purpose of the protest? Was it triggered by a recent event?

Lozhasleft

If I thought it would have any impact I'd go, but I doubt it will.

Loz x

mind blown

I hope they get media attention! That may just make the WTS start rethinking some things. I don't think anyone's done this before, have they? You know how they don't want to look bad......

Phizzy

I have always thought that the Apostates outside Conventions movement achieved little in the way of influencing JW's or the public, but I bless them for trying, and if they only helped one person that was good.

Where they found difficulty was that they were attacking doctrine, which, fair enough, the silly WT doctrines need shooting down, but JW's are programmed, mind-controlled in fact, not to listen, let alone debate or consider the argument, and the public are simply not interested in some weird debate about arcane Bible teachings.

This idea is different.

It shows where the WT is a danger to its members and the public, if it is supported and publicised enough, get the local media, esp T.V involved, and it could even enjoy national coverage.

I cannot be there, but I say good luck to all who take part, well done the organisers, and may you have a huge turnout !

Chariklo

The trouble with this is it's not enough.

For a protest to work, i.e. be effective and make an impact enough to give tangible results, it needs the fullest possible publicity, reaching the widest number opf people. It needs focus and organisation, but most of all, word of mouth. I'm just thinking on the hoof here.

The media. Ideally it would be part of a larger, longer campaign. It would have to go beyond the JW/ex-JW community. It could. The general public is heartily sick of knocks at the door and manipulative literature proclaiming bizarre doctrines.

Required: Media publicity at a high level. Local radio at least. Preferably, personal contact with a TV/radio/newspaper investigative journalist. (Pipedream: Louis Theroux) Twitter-Facebook-Blogs-all carefully tagged and with the savvy to go viral.

Organisation: For something this ambitious it needs organisation.

Televisual incident. Possibly this demo/protest could be the start, and it could provide that, but it needs to be BIG. The drawback is that JW's are all scared, because of the friends and family thing and because of the power of the elders. Are a majority of ex-JW's angry enough yet?

Worldwide synchronisation? This could be a possibility, as with the global 99% Occupy Wall Street idea. A synchronised gobal protest outside every JW HQ could make a bit of an impact. Perhaps. But only on a large scale. Organisation, planning and time required.

There are many drawbacks. The public as a whole view JW's en-masse as "Jehovah's", at least in the UK, and everyone in the organisation, according to the public mind, is tarred with the brush that properly belongs to the WT itself and to the die-hards. So it really needs a growing groundswell of articulate opposition, and real public widespread media interest. The blood issue provides one component. Child abuse another, though it's not exclusive to the WT. Brainwashing a third. Loss of liberty, the list goes on.

So what I'm saying is, it has great possibilities, and it certainly goes way beyond an identifying mark or signal at a Convention, but do the participants want it to be effective, or not, and if not, why do it?

So if it's going to be done, identify the aims, do it right.

Edit: Probably, that means, do it big.

Aussie Oz

Obviously, I won't be able to make it....

I think protests are more for a feeling of solidarity among a group than effective against an organization. Many feel helpless to get heard so a protest fits that bill.

Protests do work, and have changed hitory, but only when the media is actually interested enough to make it something. Otherwise they are just an object of curiosity to passerbys and policemen sent to keep the peace. The watchtower officials will look out the window, sip their tea and scoff "the gnats will be gone by dark"...

Oz

UK Protest against the Watch Tower

cantleave

slimboyfat