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 “I will force my body to be my weapon and my statement so...”
-The Stranglers, “Death & Night & Blood”

Introduction
Technology has changed the street protest. In centuries past, a mass of people
wishing to express themselves could only be silenced by live gunfire. But the advent of
riot armor, lachrymatory gases and “less-lethal” projectiles have allowed ruling establish-
ments to squelch the voice of protesters with great ease, and even better PR.
It is the interest of this booklet to help preserve our
freedoms of speech and public movement in expressing
ourselves. The objective is not to ‘up the ante’ or encour-
age street battles. No one sets out to engage the police or
the army. We are on the streets to be seen and heard,
but find it ever more difficult as arrests and injuries from
policing forces aim to shut our voices out of the general
equation.
One benefit of our modern and wasteful mass con-
sumption society is that it allows us to protect ourselves
from these forces. We have the material and the means
to defend our protests and to keep the police at a dis-
tance. Our method is self-defence. We march with a
mission and should those in power order others to stop
us, we have a right to defend our bodies as much as our
message.
This book was written to help preserve the freedom
of movement and assembly. Most of this book was heavi-
ly inspired to the White Overalls movements in Europe
A Roman relief depicting a testudo formation.
who have a much longer history of effecting change
through powerful demonstrations. We owe our thanks to them and hope that we in the
Americas can also find such strength in our voices.
Part I
Shield varieties and construction
The type of shield you are looking to use depends on the main factors of speed of construc-
tion, concealment, the actions you will be involved in and materials on hand.

Selecting a shield type

As persons who perform self-defence presumably without the use of a weapon, there are a
wide array of options in shield tactics. For our purposes, we are interested in forming a
shield wall formation providing for freedom of movement and defence. This means that you
can choose between using a shield with the traditional one-arm method, or a two-handed
method. While a one-armed shield provides more maneuverability, two-armed shields give
greater strength in defending oneself and pushing away the attacker. As a person is other-
wise unarmed, the two-handed shield should be considered a strong choice and critical to
the center of any shield wall. The methods of both will be described below.
The other issue is the type of shield design. While much of this is based on costs and
available materials, there are other factors to keep in mind.

Transportation: If your action requires the crossing of a border bring materials for shields
that can double as everyday items. A large cardboard box (filled with old books perhaps) in
the back seat or a few non-inflated inner-tubes for your river-rafting trip will be easy to slip
by authorities.
Concealment: Taking the shield in transit from where you are staying to the action's con-
vergence spot could find you some trouble. Large shields of course are harder to conceal.
The advantage of inflatable shields is that they can be constructed while actually at the con-
vergence spot pretty quickly.
Movement: If you are expecting to have to run some and fear that there wont be enough
members of a shield wall to provide walking protection, larger scutum (tower) shields can be
very difficult to run with. While being held in position your knees may hit the bottom of the
shield and otherwise its rather bulky.
Type of action: Hopefully you will have a sense for what type of direct action is being planned
in general as well as what means of force the police plan on using. Larger shields are bet-
ter for protecting against projectile weapons, while smaller ones are more maneuverable for
defending against truncheons. Never underestimate what the police will do, but if you know
that their force is not equipped with rubber bullets or the like, you can presume that hand
to hand fighting is more likely. Also, if the type of action requires defending a perimeter,
larger shields are better if nothing else for their imposing appearance.

Shield shapes and advantages

A note: The simpler, DIY method presumes that shields will be made more flat, while tradi-
tionally, all shields were rounded to better deflect blows and cover the body. Rounded
shields are considerably more difficult to construct with most materials. Also, for our pur-
poses here, shields with hard an not rounded corners are generally more adaptable, so con-
sider squaring out a shape (e.g. the basic curved round shield becomes a flat "square"
shield).

Round shield:
The most basic (and simplest to construct with a garbage can lid)
are small round shields usually measuring 21/2 to 3 feet in
diameter. This is a common shield size for the police in several
European countries. It is compact and easy to use, providing pro-
tection for the head and torso. This is also the shape you will
have using an inner-tube variant.

Heater:
A viking era round shield.
The heater shape is the classic medieval
looking shield with a flat top and rounded, tapering bottom. It pro-
vides the hard edge top, which can be used as a tool in grappling
as well as better lower protection. If you follow any given SCA
directions, you will probably end up with
something like this.
A heater-shaped shield.
Kite shape:
the kite shape is the traditional Viking and Norman pattern with
either rounded or sharp edges generally resembling a kite. The elon-
gated bottom protects more of your lower torso (privates included)
and parts of your legs, and yet isn't as difficult to walk with as a
tower shield.

Scutum or Tower shield:

The tall, slightly curved on the horizontal
plane shield is the old standard of the
Roman Testudo formation. It is also A Norman kite shield.
approximately the style which most police
riot shields are shaped as. Police variants differ from about 30-40
inches in height, whereas the old Roman shield could reach some
4 1/2 feet (or at least that high, relative to how short they were
back then). At the larger size end, make the shield so that you have
space for both your feet to walk underneath and your eyes to peer
over. The advantage is clearly full body protection without having
to move the shield. Visually, it is also the most imposing, and it
provides ample space for a message to be written. Ideally, no for-
mation is without some of these, however it is a shield that is cum-
bersome, difficult to transport and almost impossible to use offen-
sively other than pure shoving. This is the default size if using the
Roman scutum shields.
pool raft inflatable variant.
Handles

One-handed handles:
First of all, we should cover the for-
mat in which handles are applied, which
is universal for any one-armed design.
Simple grip handles in the middle of your
shield will always work in a pinch. But
they do not allow for the control that
might be necessary in a hot situation.
They are easy to pull away and don’t allow
for as much flexibility. Really, if you don’t
care to be precise than they will do fine in Depiction of handle placement on a heater-style shield.
general situations.
Constructing the handles themselves depend on the material you are using. You may
need to drill holes, or perhaps you can just punch them through. This also depends on if
you wish to use a rope or leather strap or will need a straight hole for a store-bought metal
handle.
One-armed handles:
The traditional shield handles function with one strap that your forearm passes
through, up to just before your elbow. Then a handle should be found just where your hand
can grasp. The angle of this set up is at 45° from the top and side of the shield. A quick
way to determine the angle is to hold one corner of the shield and let it dangle, then draw a
line straight down, perpendicular to the ground. Of course if you are building a round
shield, this angle aspect doesn’t matter. Place the handle relatively close to the upper cor-
ner. You can determine the exact position by holding the arm you will be using across your
chest. The top of the shield should be a few inches above that. The horizontal position is
dependant on the width of the shield, but remember that that corner is what will become an
extension of your arm, so leave it near enough to the edge.

Two-handed handles:
Shields with two hands require a different sort of handle configuration. As one-armed
shields are carried for left-right sweeps and up-down pivoting at the elbow, two-handed
shields are primarily used for moving them back and forth. For this, position two vertical
handles perpendicular from the top of the shield. The distance between the two vertical
handles should be just about the width of your arms. The idea is to allow for a perfect push-
ing action from your elbows bent at your sides out. If the spacing is a little more narrow
than this, it will work almost as well. Adjust as feels comfortable.

With any style of handles you use, remember that you will want to either wear thick
gloves, or make sure that your knuckles have some clearance. Once the shield gets hit, your
knuckles will be receiving the brunt of the blows.
One-armed method (traditional)

The traditional method of employing a shield is to use one's non-dominant arm

extended through the loop of the shield up as far as the end of the forearm with the handle
gripped by the hand. However, if the shield is the only thing you will be carrying, you may
wish to use your dominant arm instead. For purposes of explaining stance and movement,
we will presume it is the left arm that is holding the shield. If not, simply reverse these
directions.
Adjustments in shield position are made by pivoting at the elbow, while keeping the
upper arm firm and in place. The defensive reaction is a sweeping one, outward and to the
left. Since the upper-left corner of the shield is close to your gripping fist, that edge can be
used as a tool. For instance when facing a shielded opponent you can use that edge to either
pin their shield down, or by sliding your in and pulling back, you can pry their shield away
from their body which would have a disorientating effect and they would presumably retreat.
If necessary, this corner can also be used for body checks. Practice feeling it as an exten-
sion of your arm. However it is important to remember to not get carried away with this tac-
tic and forget the shield's primary purpose - protecting your body and that of others.
If you are outnumbered in a melee, you should never become too focused one oppo-
nent as described above. Defensive stance for a left-handed shield is to have the left leg part-
ly extended forward with the foot facing straight ahead. Your right leg should be back and
both knees should be slightly bent with your body weight centered. This allows for strong
resistance to being pushed back as well as the ability to quickly move forward, backward or
laterally. The shield can be swung outwards in a natural manner, with no loss in balance.
If pressed badly, this will allow for a blow to be partially absorbed by moving the left leg back
but understand that as you do, the more exposed right side of your body will now be facing
your opponent.

Two-handed method

If you have chosen to use a two-handed shield much of the tactics in a skirmish
described above apply. The main difference is that as a two-handed shield operator, you are
much more powerful in a pushing/resisting position. As such, you should be at the very
front, allowing for those with smaller or one-armed shields to be behind and at your sides
for protection.
When advancing your arms should be positioned with your elbows loose and at your
chest. When contact is made, your action is a simple shove forward. With both hands on
the shield, you won’t have the opportunity to skirmish in anything but a rigid manner. You
can still tilt the direction of the shove as need be, but hopefully you will still be in your line
and have compatriots at either side of your body. You can use your arms to either press
and lock them at full length, or you can more effectively push forward, pull in and push
again, in a pulsing manner. This limits exposure to your body while maximising your effec-
tiveness. The problem is that in a real situation, you will probably have people pressing on
you from behind as well, so your best option is to then press the shield to your body and
use your body weight to press forward.
Your defensive stance will be similar to the one-armed method in that you position one
leg ahead of the other, crouch slightly and brace yourself. The arms should be firm, but
bend so that you can absorb part of the blow without having something break. Also, if your
shield is large enough, you can counter act by crouching further behind and surging for-
ward with a jump. This should be powerful enough to keep your opponent well at bay.

Multi-person shields

Some shields in this book can be modified for or are meant to be used with multiple
people. While the tactics of formation movement are covered later, remember that there are
certain things you can do to maintain the strength of multi-person shields. The first issue
is often weight or difficulty in keeping up. Attending to the group with the shield should be
others willing to take over for you. If you begin to tire, especially as multi-person shields
can be heavy, opt out and perhaps even set up a rotation on long marches.
Multi-person shields lose their effectiveness when one or two people lose the ability to
maintain their position, so continue to look to your partners on the right and left. When
bracing for defence, all people with the shield should crouch into the stances described
above. Simple communication is the key for this. Often such shileds have to be held high
but raising ones arms does not provide optimum strength. Make sure that everyone crouch-
es so that the shortest person is able to hold the shield at a level close to his/her chest.
Arms can then be locked out-stretched and provide the most strength for pushing forward
or absorbing blows. Getting pinned with your arms above your head is probably the worst
thing possible.
The real difficulty comes in advance as multi-person shields requite uniform movment
to be effective, especially when being confronted. The ability to wheel right or left depend
solely on talking to eachother. Since such a shield is probably employed by small affinity
groups, simple commands can be practiced as to how to pivot, charge together and take
stances together.
Garbage can/barrel shields:

The easiest shield to make

is often one that is mostly pre-
made for you. Found street
items can often work wonderful-
ly making construction quick
and easy. Plastic garbage cans
are the easiest with lids turning
into instant shields and the cans
themselves requiring little more
than being cut in half. Orange
construction barrels are a little
bit more difficult to obtain, but
can similarly be used – however
they tend to be much more
rounded and hence difficult to Protesters crouch behind garbage can shields in Quebec City, April 20, 2001.
grip in a one-armed style.

Construction:
With a can lid, you should be all set. That is unless you don’t want the awkward to
use handle, which is not optimal for protecting yourself or advancing, but will do fine if you
aren’t particular. If you desire a better grip, follow the above instructions. Furthermore,
keep in mind that the handle is on the opposite side of what you might prefer. It should be
attached so that the concave rounded side is what points outward.
Ideal for tower shields, the body portion of a plastic trash can be used for two or three
shields depending on the size of the can and the desired width. Larger, industrial trash con-
tainers or barrels tend to be taller and will cover more area. With a saw, remove the bottom
of the can and any handles on the side. Then cut the can into the desired portions. Size it
up against your own body to find the desired width. Since the can is rounded, applying one-
armed handles on the inside of the shield will be a little bit trickier. While it works fine in
that manner, trashcan shields are also perfect for the two-handed grip style. If you are
using it in this manner and plan on being in the front line of a Tortoise formation, consid-
er using a hot knife to cut a small slit a few inches from the top to peer through.

Tip: Do not forget for all shields about the need to place foam or another material along the
part of the shield which you arm will reside behind. This should run from your knuckles at
the grip down to your elbow on a one-armed shield.

Inflatable shields:

Quick to construct, easy to transport, inconspicuous and adding an extra bounce, inflat-
able shields are a very clever variant. On the opposite extreme of an imposing shield wall,
using inflatable shields gives the disarming appearance that the police are busting up a
beach party.
There are two main variants of inflatable
shields - rounded life-saver style and the tall, flat
pool raft. The life-saver style is basically a round
shield with some added thickness, whereas the
pool raft can provide full body protection,
although they tend not to be very thick.
Given what you will find, there are two vari-
ants of the life-saver style. The slightly smaller
and lightweight option is to purchase a small,
inflatable personal pool flotation device. These
are made from plastic and are easier to puncture
plus have thinner walls, but are much easier to
Innertube shields on the move in Cancun, Mexico. wield. Doubling up of two of these light tubes is
also an option. The heavy and strong choice are
large inner-tubes, often used for sitting in. These are thick, bouncy but quite heavy. Given
their weight, they make considerably better options as a two-handed shield, providing for
strong shoving action.
The pool raft variant provides for a sort of tower shield, quite possibly one that is larger
than your own body. If available, purchase rafts of the smallest variety, although due to
their lightweight, an overly tall raft should not be too obtrusive. Because such cheap pool
rafts are rather thin and not very rigid, it is recommended that you try to affix two of them
together. Thicker, heavier and much sturdier rafts also exist for about four times the cost
of a cheap one.

Construction:
Inflatable shields have the enormous advantage of being quick to construct just before
a demonstration kicks off. With hard effort, it should take no more than 30 minutes to con-
struct any of the variants in any style. Remember that while uninflated rafts are easy to
explain to inquisitive officers, some of the other materials needed might not be.
Option 1: The first option simply requires an awful lot of tape. Packaging tape or duct
tape will work just fine. They key here is to strengthen the center area of the shield with
tape so that it can sustain blows without puncturing. Of course this is especially critical
with life-saver rafts that have an open center. Second of all, the tape is then used to fash-
ion handles. This is where you decide if your shield will be a one- or two-handed variety.
Follow the patterns for determining handle position and angle as universally described
above. The tape is wrapped around and given slack in these areas and the slack portion is
wadded so as to provide a thin grip. Make several passes to ensure strength. For raft
shields that would require excessive amounts of tape when wrapped vertically, make the
handles from small strips, place them in position and then secure them down at the top and
bottom of the handles by wrapping tape horizontally.
Option 2: Option two utilises some sort of thick plastic wrap such as a tarp, or failing
that, a strong bedsheet or other large fabric. The intention here is to substitute the mas-
sive amounts of tape in option one with a basic covering that can sustain blows while main-
taining the bounce effect of the rafts. Either a small section of the tarp or fabric can be cut
out to cover the needed area, or a much larger amount can be used to wrap the entire shield.
Then use strong tape to tightly secure the material and make sure it is taut enough to main-
tain the bounce factor. Be aware that packaging tape does not stick well to fabrics and that
duct tape should be used in this case. Finally, fashion handles in the same manner as in
option one.

Cardboard based shields:

Cardboard shields are relatively simple to make, or with a variety of construction options,
can become more complicated. The simpler variants are of material that would be simple to
pass off under scrutiny by authorities. Carrying a cardboard box and a having a few strands
of rope in your pocket probably wont bring much suspicion s you walk to a convergence
location.
But bear in mind that cardboard shields, without much reinforcement, are not going to
be very effective against baton blows. They serve a perfect place in further back rows where
say, in a Tortoise formation, they work well enough to deflect projectiles. So if you are plan-
ing on being on the frontline, try to avoid using cardboard, . However, if you catch yourself
early in a day where you predict a shield will come in handy, this type is simple and quick
enough to build.

Construction:
Option 1: The most basic variety is a relatively
large panel of a cardboard box, at least 24" x 24"
- enough to cover your face and upper torso.
Then with two strands of rope, or a good deal of
string, affix handles as per the above positioning
instructions by punching holes and tying knots
at the ends so the ropes don't slip through. If
you have the chance, add some glue to the area
the rope slips through to prevent tearing where
the knot might be ripped out.
Option 2: Simply glue or tape on added layers of Foam and innertubes clash in Prague, Sept. 26, 2000.
cardboard for more durability. If you lack much extra cardboard, use small strips along the
perimeter and in the center between two full size panels which will give the shield at least a
degree of increased strength. Even if a baton hits a shield that is mostly air on the inside,
it will at least absorb that much more of the blow.
Option 3: A peculiar but incredibly simple variant is to use an entire box with no top. When
worn as a shield with straps on the bottom of the box, the open-box shield is an odd but
clever frontline shield. Its advantage is the fact that an opponent has great difficulty land-
ing a solid blow against you, and more than likely with have his or her truncheon wind up
stuck inside the box. If you are surging forward, that weapon will be difficult to extract and
you have just rendered it ineffective. Additionally, a tall box (of at least 8") has a frame that
when hit head on will dent, but not break. The dangerous disadvantage is that you lose
many angles of deflection, meaning that a baton may hit the side of your box, slide forward
and still strike you. But it does have many disorientating possibilities. An option I have not
put probably enough thought into is affixing an open box on a larger base, serving a dual
function of containing a baton and deflection. (Really this could all just be a bad concept,
but I’m not yet sure.)

Soft foam shield:

A simple design for a super lightweight and quick to make shield that is to use soft foam,
such as the kind found in chairs and soundproof padding as a core. You should be able to
find a fairly large sized block, which can then be cut to size with a knife or scissors. If the
foam is less than two inches in thickness, consider doubling it up. You will also want a piece
of card or tack-board for the front. This sort of shield looks very non-offensive and is quite
cushy if possible bodily harm is a concern to you.

Construction:
Once you have the size of the core correct, duct tape your board surface to the front.
You will have to punch holes through the entirety to position your handle. The best option
for that is rope or any sort of firm strap. Other than that, there is very little to this design.

Plexiglass shields

Plexiglass is a highly versatile material since it can be cut and manipulated, and is
fairly lightweight. Home improvement stores sell plexiglass in a variety of sizes. One could
cut anything from a small one-armed shield, to a massive multi-person shield wall. The only
draw back is the lack of flexibility means that not only are rounded shapes near impossible,
but that the material can snap easily. In order to sustain baton or projectile blows the shield
would have to be at least a 1/2” in thick-
ness. If the material does not come that
way, it can be layered and glued with a
mixed epoxy, super glue or glue gun.
Some protesters that have seen this
shield employed maintain that it also has
a disarming affect on police psychology.
The police officers who are unable to see
an individual infront of them seem to lose
their sense of personal rage against indi-
viduals.

Construction:
Plexiglass can be roughly cut with a
Two giant plexiglass shields envelop police in Italy, March 17, 2001. hand-saw, but a band saw is much pre-
ferred. If you lack an electric saw, consider drilling multiple holes in a line and snapping
off the excess. Hopefully you can acquire the size you want right away though.
A good idea for added reinforcement, especially if your shield is extremely large, is to
affix planks of wood along the oblong sides. A full frame of wood will help that much more.
Just remember that wood adds a great deal more weight. Wood can be affixed either by
strong wood glue, or more easily, screws or bolts.
For the handles, remember that plexiglass is a hard surface and you will want
padding under the place where your arm will go. Leather straps or ropes can be easily
affixed by tying them through holes made with a drill. Again, wood helps to add stability on
the points where your handles connect to the plexiglass.

Hard foam core shield:

One of the more difficult to make but longest lasting and versatile construction meth-
ods is to use firm foam core boards, possibly wrapped with fiberglass. These can be made
to any desired size and thickness. Plus, the foam core is easy to carve, allowing you to shape
rounded edges into it.

Construction:
Foam core is most easily obtained as blue insulation foam boards that are sold cheap-
ly at hardware stores in thicknesses usually under an inch. Purchase enough to allow for
double or triple layers. Make sure the plastic covering it comes with is removed too. After
you cut the shape, be it circular, tower or the like, use a glue or liquid cement to sandwich
layers together.
If you wish to make your shield more durable and not subject to cracking in half upon
first impact, consider epoxying an added layer of fiberglass cloth to the front. Most glues
won’t stick well to foam core and fiberglass, so a mixed epoxy is necessary. This is obtain-
able at any hardware or home goods store, usually as auto or boat repair kits. Make sure
you know the sizes needed ahead of time. This should be cut after you have shaped and
rounded your foam core. Then epoxy along the edges and center and attach one to both
front and back. You can trim extra cloth after all has dried.
At this point your handles can be attached. You will probably need a drill, or a
corkscrew to dig out a firm hole. This style should be thick enough to accommodate firm
metal handles with screws and wing nuts as well as simple ropes. Remember that since this
is a firm shield, you will want protection for your knuckles or a groove in the shield where
your knuckles would be placed.

Improvised backpack shield:

In a pinch, simply placing a flat piece of plywood, layered cardboard or tagboard in an

otherwise empty backpack can make a small sized two-handed shield. The idea is to max-
imize the surface area, which should garner you something approximating 15" x 12" given
an average backpack size. You will have to remember to cut the board(s) down to a size that
fits before the day of action.
The added advantage of this is its complete concealability. Apart from the rough cor-
ners, it would be hard to judge what your backpack is truly going to be used for to an out-
side observer. The downsides are pretty clear though. Not only is the shield of small size,
the straps are too large to be very practical to use in a one-handed manner. One way to
remedy this is to use a piece of soft rope or another non-chaffing material and wrap your
forearm in place on the backpack strap. Otherwise, use the backpack in a two-handed man-
ner.

Banner shields:
 Banner shields are group shieldswhich are used to maintain marching cohesion and
can be the frontline for a push forward if need be. Otherwise, they serve as fantastic med-
dage boards.
A banner shield requires only ample cloth or a tarp and hard plastic tubing to main-
tain to provide the skeleton. The banner should be wide enough to go from chin to ankle.
The banner is wrapped along top and bottom and then stapled or taped over the tubes. Then
to prevent the lower portion from swining into shins, epoxy other tubes or cut wood to give
it a stronger frame. This is all optional however, as only the top bar is really critical, but
consider a rigid full frame and using tarp if you expect projectiles to be fired.
The length of the banner should be no more than half of a street length. This allows
a hinge in the middle of the formation to create a wedge if need be. Banner shields carried
on the sides encourage tight cohesion and can be swung up front if they are needed.
Remember though that such a hinge in the middle also makes it the weakest point and
emphasis should be placed on having people crowding behind to cover that.

Tip: Is your found-object shield too small? A garbage can tower shield might not fully
extend down your legs - a choice place for police to fire and bounce projectiles at. A small
one or two foot extention of plexiglass can be screwed into the bottom of your shield. To
make sure that the plexiglass doesn’t snap at first impact, consider bolting pieces of 2x2
wood down the sides for added durability.

Other shield concepts:

All in all, most anything can easily become a shield so long as you adapt it to your lik-
ing. There are some materials you would wish to avoid, such as wood due to its weight. Also
metal, specifically lightweight aluminum seems like an immediate choice, it is expensive,
very difficult to work with and can be painful to the bearer should it wind up jabbed back
into your face.
Yet anything you think that will be lightweight, firm and easy to affix handles to will work
fine. An old thumbtack board or plastic tabletop you might find in the trash would do fine.
Shield construction is all just a matter of the time you are willing to put in it, or dumb luck
as per what you might find.

Other Equipment

Helmets:

Helmets are a critical part of any defensive tactic, be it a shield wall or a simple and open
direct action where attack is a major risk. As police forces have regularly demonstrated that
they do not follow their own guidelines of avoiding blows to the head, a helmet is an impor-
tant piece of protection.
Unfortunately a helmet is too tricky a piece of equipment to make appropriately, that you
will have to acquire something pre-made.
The most basic helmet with the minimal amount of protection is a construction hat.
These can usually most simply be found in a toy store, provided they are large enough.
Wadded newspaper inside will help soften blows. The next easiest helmets to acquire are
bike or motorcycle ones. Thrift stores should have a selection of these, but otherwise they
are a little expensive.
The ultimate option,
although quite conspicuous in
transporting are military hel-
mets. Modern helmets are
made from Kevlar meant to
stop a bullet. These are
extremely costly and not neces-
sary. What can be acquired
quite cheaply are surplus steel
helmets, often of foreign make,
that are sold in military sur-
plus catalogs. Do a web search
for military surplus or mili-
taria, or otherwise ask a local
army surplus store for cata- Helmets, cardboard and life-jackets make up the body armor in this Italian march.
logs.
For personal protection a solid helmet is probably the most important thing one can bring
to a demonstration after a gas mask.

Improvised body armor:

For body armor, we are basically just talking about padding and forms of wearing it.
Homemade chain mail is nice, but too costly and time consuming to construct for the aver-
age protester. There are two basic variants of body protection that can be employed, or there
is the more complicated segmented armor described later.
The first is simply added layers of clothing. A few pairs of long underwear, sweat suits
or an extra heavy coat can go a long way to soften a blow. The main draw back here is the
impeded movement at the joints and the fact that you will be sweating like a pig for most of
the time.
Other items can be improvised that are not normally worn. For example, life preserver
vests work wonderfully as a strong padding over your chest and back. Football and other
sports padding is obviously another option.

Basic body armor:

The next step in body armor is affixed padding. The best material for this is foam
padding, which should be available at hobby stores, or at a place that sells packing materi-
als. Even densely rolled newspapers or clothes can work.
If you have enough material, a make shift suit can be made simply by wrapping por-
tions and taping them together with duct tape. Otherwise the best option is to cover your
most exposed and vulnerable parts. These would be your arms, chest and back. After that,
cover your legs and stomach area. If you lack a helmet though, the first thing you should
do is tape a few pieces to your head, provided you value your skull more than the fear of
looking like an idiot. If you are using a large shield and feel pretty secure, consider still
padding your upper back side and arms for they can still be struck if you are attacked from
the sides.
To keep the padding better in place, consider affixing it to an undershirt, then wear-
ing another piece of clothing over that. Additionally, scour thrift stores for used sports pads.
Cheap shin pads can usually fit high up on your arms, and other items such as foam splints
work as improvised armor as well.

Lorica Segmentata:

Keeping in step with our reversion to ancient technologies we can find a cheap means
of making segmented body armor. The segmentation means that you don't have to be adept
in shaping parts or even being very careful, for you can attach new parts as needed. This
also allows for a degree of versatility to only cover certain body parts that you may think are
critical.
Lorica Segmentata, which basically means a hardened and segmented sheath for the
body, is simplest to construct using hard and thick, but cheap and still malleable plastic.
A good source for plastic that is pre-shaped with a curvature are pickle buckets, like the
kind that can be taken from the dumpster of a McDonald's.
First of all, prioritize the type of armor you think you'll need. As a shield bearer, you
will probably want protection for your upper shield arm(s). Following that, covering for your
other arm and then both shoulders is important. From there the chest and backside are
should follow given the amount of material you have.
Construction of a lorica pattern is basically subject to the amount of material, you
have, skill and luck. Since we really don't care how it looks or if its perfectly uniform, we
don't need to have a set pattern. The one key thing to keep in mind is that each individual
section should be only covering a single moving part of your body. For example, a piece
should cover only your chest area and not impede the movement of other parts such as on
your shoulder and upper arm.

Construction
To begin and not take the half-assed route, you should use a tape measure to determine
the length or the parts you wish to cover. The width of parts that will go over your arms
needs only to be long enough to wrap around a bit. Of course, this can all be done by sight,
and parts that are too large can always later be cut or shaved down. Next use a small
toothed saw or a heavy-duty cutting scissors or the like to cut out the right-sized portions.
Then, place the portions into an oven, baking at a high temperature of about 400*. Wait
until it warms up substantially, but try to avoid melting it. Then, while still hot, use oven
mits to shape your pieces. Generally you wand flatter portions for your chest and back, and
rounder portions to cover parts like arms and shoulders. For ease in bending, use a thick
wooden dowel to obtain a more uniform shape. Remember that your shoulders shape dif-
ferently along the length, so be sure to leave more room on the side closest to your neck.
While still warm, drive an awl or other sharp item through two or three holes on the sides
of your pieces. The holes need to be wide enough for string, or can be smaller if you use wire
ties. Otherwise, wait until the pieces are cool again and use a drill. If you have a chest or
back armor set that is made up of many smaller pieces, you will probably need holes on all
four sides to make sure it stays in place.
Next, you fasten your lorica sections together, using any strong material you wish. This
can range from thick string, to actual grommets connected by leather. If you are just mak-
ing arm pieces, be sure to leave enough slack so you can tie your armor tight so it stays in
place. If you are making a full armored set that will cover shoulders, arms and chest/back,
you can fasten the pieces tightly and securely together and slip the set on over your head.
You will still want a loose string at the bottom of arm portions to tie them down. It is prob-
ably easiest to stand as a model and have someone else custom tie your pieces to the con-
tours of your body. Presuming your armor was made without much pre-planning, you will
probably have large gaps between pieces. The key here then is to position your pieces so
key parts are covered, such as shoulder bones, diaphragm and other sensitive parts.
Remember in fashioning your armor that deflection can count as much as contour fit-
tings. You can either spend time meticulously shaping a piece to fit snugly over your shoul-
der, or you can lay a roughly flat piece on it and have edges over hang. Make sure the over-
hang isn't so much as to impede arm movement though.
Finally, for added protection (and much comfort), you can add strips of foam, or even
glue styrofoam peanuts to the underside of your armor to soften blows. Soft padding ripped
from chairs and sofas are ideal for this. Otherwise, just add a layer of garments underneath.
Understand your target and your position

The police are much easier to predict than most people fear. Too often, the paranoia
of being surrounded occurs in situations where the police are fairly static in their positions.
Is your target a building that the police are surrounding in full force? Have they left the
streets outside of that perimeter free to protesters or do they have roving columns ready to
strike? Have you completed your objective of blockading a conference and the police are try-
ing to break through your formations? Are you just having a spontaneous street party and
don’t know when, if or where the police will show?
Answers to these questions seem simple and obvious, yet too often mobile protesters
do not have a clear picture of what the situation is like and communication has broken down
too much. Issues like this are what drove armies to have set hierarchies thousands of years
ago, and in the framework of avoiding set leadership, communication is our only answer.
Before the day of action, you should already know what to expect. Also pay attention
to what the police are intending to do or what extent they want to go to. Is it a city that has
sworn off using projectiles? Is the event you are demonstrating at, such as an outdoor
swearing-in ceremony, a place where the
police are afraid to use tear gas? Have pre-
vious police actions demonstrated their
intention to make sweeping arrests or do
they only pick off stragglers?
While its critical to always be on your toes
and never trust the police to operate in a
certain way, there are always warning
signs you can look for. If an empty bus
appears, then you can expect sweep
arrests. If a squad of bike police disap-
peared in another direction, they are prob-
ably out to outflank you.
Conversely, always be ready to exploit your
own successes. Too often protesters,
unready for a success or a hasty police
retreat will merely remain in place and not
seize their gains. Sticking your neck too
Police in Philadelphia split up protesters, August 1, 2000.
far out can be dangerous, but that's when
its crucial to have the protection of the masses following up behind.

Movement in a shield wall

For typical movement when not immediately in a confrontational position, you should
still be at the ready. Traditionally defensively aware marchers have linked arms to prevent
individuals from being nabbed. While carrying a shield in a wall formation, the threat of
this is probably much less. But if necessary, persons using one-armed shields can use their
free arm to grasp the shield arm of the adjacent person. This becomes problematic with dif-
ferent-handed people however. Furthermore, this tactic should not be employed when in a
confrontation so as to allow freedom of movement for the shields.
The critical aspect to moving in any
shield wall formation is unison. While
demonstrators would discourage any indi-
vidual to marshal a march, a form of
organisation is necessary. Unless it is pos-
sible to prepare and practice these tactics
ahead of time, the best way is the use of
simple commands that can be shouted
(examples below), including warnings of
what is ahead for those who cannot see.
For keeping tight in a march at any
pace, the best method is a drum near the
front (a drummer in the back won’t know
what is going on well enough) or the calling
A shield wall is set up in preperation for protests in Genoa, July 2001.
off of steps ("1, 2, 1, 2...). Given that most
marching routes will be pre-determined, directions should not be a major factor - apart from
the tendency to lose formation when making turns. Should the shield wall be freely roam-
ing or have loosely laid plans, calling out for slow turns is important ahead of time, espe-
cially since intersections are where a shield wall or any march is most vulnerable to
ambush.

Scouting

A system of scouts is critical to effectively moving a shield wall, especially when it is

unknown where confrontation is to be expected. This does not necessitate a series of out-
post necessarily, although that would be useful as well. What a mobile shield wall needs is
eyes, which should be on at least all four corners of the march. Bicyclists or possible reg-
ular-looking pedestrian scouts can cover their own angle of view and operate half of a block
to a full block ahead watching their respective side. Communications should be kept with
one or more people in the shield wall - presumably in the second row - who are known by
others to be in touch with the scouts so that they will be given some priority in emergency
situations.
Proper scouting afield can also relay information concerning vehicular movements, such
as extra police units arriving in APC's, cars or vans. Another good warning sign is empty
buses used for detaining large numbers of protesters.
If there are multiple targeted locations where the march is trying to head (such as try-
ing to breech the perimeter preventing access to a public area), scouts are crucial as to
informing which location would be best given shifts in the police strengths.

Barriers

Metal inter-locked barriers are the typical means of blockading marches by the police.
When a shield wall approaches a barrier it must be opened or knocked down prior to pene-
tration by the wall. If police protection of the barrier is minimal, people in the back rows
should be called ahead to remove the barriers so that the shield wall does not lose its cohe-
sion in the act.
If police are present behind the
barrier and safe from an advance,
the shield wall should advance close
enough so that people reaching from
within the wall can pull it down. If
the police resist the movement of a
barrier, persons in the shield wall
should try to advance so that their
shields extend over the barriers pro-
tecting hands that are pulling it
down and
knocking away those of the police.
Protesters appropriate metal barriers in Cincinnati on November 16, 2000.
Splitting formations

The tendency for demonstrators to seek safety in numbers sometimes precludes wise tac-
tical decisions. When safety is just as guaranteed with your march split in two, than it
would be almost foolish not to split into two shield-wall covered marches that keep in con-
tact. Simply put, a shield wall of 1000 people rushing a barricade on a street that is 60 feet
wide will probably leave some 800 people standing around not helping because of a lack of
space. Your odds improve the more the police are thinned and caught by surprise.
The most effective thing a shield wall can do is confuse authorities as to the intent of the
march. To that end having one or more factions split up and take different routes will throw
a police operation into disarray. Because the police are restricted to following ranking offi-
cers and their commands (at least while maneuvering) if your march splits while the shad-
owing police force only has one officer among itself, it cannot break in two to follow both
groups.
A shield wall should consider the possibility of splitting up tactically only when there are
enough shields. This can be judged knowing if forming a testudo later on might be critical,
but if not, than only a few rows of shields and the perimeter and rear groups are needed. A
mass of 1000 shields isn't going to be any more effective as a shield wall than 500. Keep in
mind if you might end up in an open space like a square or a park where the potential width
of your wall may have to grow or your density of shield might be important to defend against
flank attacks.
Knowing when to split up also depends on the local situation, but is definitely most effec-
tive when trying to breech a perimeter that has multiple entry points. The police work on a
system of reserves, sending more officers to points that may be or are in trouble. So if two
barricades are rushed simultaneously, the chances of one or both succeeding is significant-
ly higher.
The main question is then, when can you split? A good rule of thumb for safety with a
march is that there are enough people to cover slightly more than one city block. This is
necessary to prevent being boxed in from two intersections at once. If numbers are double
this, than splitting up is not only feasible but a very smart move. Also, keep in mind that
the odds of getting boxed in a trap are greatly lessened when there are, say, three marches
walking along different streets as the police have far more repositioning to do and are prob-
ably spread too thin if they didn't expect your move. Multiple shield walls roaming a city
also provide far better coverage for affinity groups that may wish to perform more danger-
ous operations.

Retreat

So should a situation come to this and the possibility of arrest or extreme caution
becomes necessary, it might be time to beat a retreat.
Historically, retreating armies suffer the worst losses. The same is true in demon-
strations when people break and run in fear. While there is no real practical means of
teaching people to avoid this panic, a few cool heads can save the day. The first critical
thing a person can do in this situation is to yell "Don't run!" as the first fear should be
stampeding other people - a horrible and demoralising possibility.
The shield wall then in the frontline must act to play rear guard, which can be done
by walking backwards at a good pace. If needed, a one-armed shield holder can brace him
or herself by gabbing the arm o the person next to them. Calling out with "Hold the line!"
may also help in keeping cohesion.
This should also provide physical and visual coverage for those who may have
taken "illegal" actions and are a target for police forces. It also will provide grounds for
those that find it critical to use projectiles to stem the police onslaught.
This type of situation is the most difficult to maintain cohesion during, but arguably
the most important. If individual police officers are allowed into protester lines, they will
begin arresting and beating those particulars. A shield wall that is maintained can save
scores - but always remain wary of being boxed in at such times.
A scout in the rear can be used to determine which direction the retreat should take
as well as to observe when it is safe to stop.
Setting up your formations

The only way to guarantee maximum effectiveness of the variety of shields and body
armor employed is that every affinity group uses similar equipment as much as possible.
Since rows are set up of one or more affinity groups marching together and it is in no one's
interest to break up affinity groups, it would be foolish to have some people in your group
arrive with massive shields, and others with just a helmet.
Once converging, everyone participating in shield wall formations can agree among
each group as to who goes where. Groups with inner tube or tower shields will be urged to
be near the front or at least highly exposed. Remember this isn’t a demonstration of heroics
- it is a matter of practicality as to which affinity groups are in the front because they are
helping to defend the entire march. By visual consensus it should not be hard to deter-
mine who should position themselves where, unless certain groups do not feel comfort-
able near the front. Remember that DIY equipment is made to be disposable, and swapping
equipment might be an important function of solidarity even if you labored for hours on your
particular shield.

Formations

Wedge Charge

This method, requiring much coordination

is derived from a classic Viking method of charg-
ing. It requires a good deal of discipline, not to
mention an awful lot of courage on the part of the
person in front. This method also requires the
space to make for a near running charge to pro-
vide maximum disarray and psychological intim-
idation against opponents.
A wedge will have one or two persons in
front, using the two-handed method with as
large a shield as possible. The two lines that fol-
low to the right and left of the focal point slight-
ly angle their shields to the outside direction.
Once in position a countdown to a charge should
be given and the charge should be made at a A classic v-shaped viking wedge formation.
quick pace of short steps to keep tight, as full sprinting will lose cohesion.
The wedge works by focusing on one point and pressing upon it while the two angled
sides deflect forces attempting to aid the one point and widening the breech. It also keeps
a degree of cohesion for those attempting to break through. A normal flat line of attack may
open a hole in one or two places, but they are difficult to expand upon and to even notice
for reinforcements to converge upon.
Another advantage of the wedge is that if a person in the lead is about to be nabbed,
there is immediate support behind him or her to pull them back away from arrest. It is
then critical to remain close to the person in front of you. A wedge need not be more than
7-11 persons across or about 4 persons deep. Extra bodies can be used to fill the inside of
the wedge, and form a solid line behind it - although at the ready to push through the
breech.

Pulse charge

This is another method that takes discipline, and planning ahead of time. It probably
is too complicated to be considered, but it’s included for the concept anyhow. The pulse, as
the name implies is a series of quick and short engagements that are just as quickly broken
off. This should work to throw the police off balance and catch them by surprise when the
real push is made. If pre-arranged, such that 3 pulses will occur before the real press, then
simple shouting commands will work.
The difficulty is being able to disengage - as people behind you may not be aware of
your methods. A possible effective manner is to use only one line of shields, having a few
people behind to ask the rest of the crowd to wait until the final real charge. Otherwise,
this is probably a move too difficult to coordinate.

The Echelon Charge

Similar in effect to the wedge, but easier to set up, the echelon also works in a defen-
sive manner. It is set up such that a given wing of the shield wall is extended ahead, slop-
ing down to the other side of the wing, like the shape of a guillotine blade. Each person
stands slightly behind and to the side of the person in front.
The principle behind this tactic is to turn the flank of a cordon of police and execute
a breakthrough there. Traditionally, this is done on the right wing of the shield wall, turn-
ing the left wing of the police formation and for the sake of preparation, it is a good idea to
keep this as a standard - unless the police have caught on of course. To add to the effect
of pressing one corner of the opposing line, the weight of added bodies should be added to
this side.
In effect, the one edge pushes through on one corner, turning the flank while the other
end of the echelon advances enough to keep those police at bay. Hence the weight pushes
through one side and the other wing of the police is helpless to come
to their aid. This method not only breaks the police line, it also boxes
them in to a degree, forcing a very disorganised withdraw on their
point. The confusion should be enough to deter the police from press-
ing your weakened left wing.
Alternately, if an echelon is too difficult to form, a simple straight
line with added weight to one side can have a similar effect.

Tortoise or Testudo

The tortoise formation is the essence of the shield wall. Now while
typical advancements may only require a front row of shields, the tor-
toise formation aims to protect both the front and the top from raining
A simple tortoise formation.
projectiles such as tear gas canisters. A tight wall above and in the
front can also protect against direct spray items such as pepper spray nozzles and water
cannons.
Traditional tortoise formation dictates that the first row of shields lay theirs at ground
level while the second row reaches over the shoulders of the first at an angle to double the
front protection while then the third and subsequent rows protect the top. Additionally
members on the side would protect the flanks if nec-
essary.
As the tortoise was employed for protection
against arrows and javelins in antiquity, it is only cru-
cial today in situations of situations where police pro-
jectiles are thrown. As it is naturally a slow moving
formation, it is not recommended for actions in
defence against batons for the loss in visibility in find-
ing gaps among the police lines.
For the purposes here, a formation with one
front row of shields and the remainder providing ceil-
ing support should suffice. As moving fast invariable
develops cracks in the formation, move to a slow
rhythm or the chant of "1, 2, 1, 2..." A tactical objec-
tive of the Tortoise is to get close enough to police
rounds to render projectile weapons ineffective. This
will relieve protesters in the rear of the need for flight.
Immediately once contact is made with the police
lines, the tortoise should break into supportive rows
of frontal shields aimed at defending each other
against baton blows. Riot police advancing in a tortoise formation.

Square

This defensive tactic, or a loose derivative of it should be employed when you have a
single position to defend against imminent attack, and your numbers are rather small. This
can arise typically when trying to block the path of vehicles in a spontaneous move.
The traditional square was a formation the British Imperial armies would use to
defend from massed cavalry attacks. For our purposes, it works to prevent or at least pro-
long arrest even when surrounded or when injecting yourselves into a compromisable posi-
tion.
The square is simply set to face around a point with your shields out. As you are
immobile, kneeling will provide a smaller space for the police to try to crack. In reality, you
will probably end up with more of a circular formation than an actual square, but the idea
is the same. And if you happen to find a stockpile of muskets, what the hell, have a go at
it.

Extreme self-defence tactics

When facing an opposing force that is hell bent on breaking laws and violating
your rights by viciously attacking you, any code of self-defence allows for extreme meas-
ures. By this we mean to include the throwing of projectiles and use of bludgeon weapons
which serve to distract and disorientate the opposition so that the demonstrators might
regroup or escape.
Grease guns, smoke and paint bombs and other items don’t necessarily injure and
also can provide tactical advantages in disorientating the police. But, as this is a booklet
concerning self-defence tactics and preserving our rights of free movement, we won’t get into
specifics on more aggressive street fighting manners. And hey, how much do you need to
know about throwing a brick?
While injury to others is never a facet to embrace in self-defence, we must recognise
this possibility as it has happened in the past, and will probably occur again. If the
police are prepared for the worst, so should we. While this is not the place for a moral
treatise, the general philosophy is that we are fighting for life and freedom, and so long
as we don’t fight for death and oppression as our enemies do, we have moral fortitude on
our side.

This booklet is in a rough form and will be updated with more diagrams, construction
images and concepts as time goes on.

Contact the author with ideas, field testing, more images and criticisms at [email protected]
My thanks to all of those that have contributed thus far and all of the great support I’ve had
in writing this.