#nonviolent-resistance

#nonviolent-resistance

They are joined by Hardy Merriman, an expert on the history and practice of civil resistance, to discuss what kinds of coördinated actions-protests, boycotts, "buycotts," strikes, and other nonviolent approaches-are most effective in a fight against democratic backsliding. "Acts of non-coöperation are very powerful," Merriman, the former president of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, says. "Non-coöperation is very much about numbers. You don't necessarily need people doing things that are high-risk. You just need large numbers of people doing them."

Security protocols in case of an emergency were reviewed and put into action: life vests, head counts and designated muster points. They were training for scenarios that could occur on any vessel fire, someone falling overboard, collision. But this training was different because there was another scenario. The volunteers were instructed on how to raise their hands in the event that Israeli soldiers intercepted the vessel, boarded it and detained them. The focus is on acting in a nonviolent way, in accordance with their mission.