Activist HandbookOn this page
โGoing floppyโ refers to the technique of passively resisting arrest, by relaxing all muscles, making it harder for law enforcement to carry you away. By doing this, more police officers are needed to carry a protestor away. One may decide to go floppy until you are carried into a police van, or all the way to the police station. Extinction Rebellion has used this technique at their protests in the UK and the Netherlands.
Local context
Police may try to counter this method by using various forms of violence, in the hope to convince the protestor to corporate. Depending on whether the laws in your country allow for such violence, this method may not be suitable to for your movement.
We recommend to take into account the local context and your personal circumstances to determine if this method is worth the effort.
We'd love to hear your experiences with this technique in your country! Even if you don't know exactly what laws are applicable, your experiences still tell us something about how the police reacts in practice.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, police may try to twist your arms or hands in painful positions. Hitting downwards at sitting protestors with a baton is generally not allowed. The degree of violence used may also vary depending on your skin colour.
