dress your uprising in crowd control and denim

The New York Times, March 20, 2006:
PROTESTORS CHARGE FRAUD IN BELARUS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
An expected landslide for President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko drew several thousand Belarussians into the streets on Sunday, as protesters ignored swirling snow and official threats of arrest to denounce the election as a clumsily orchestrated sham.

from a flyer titled
"IMPORTANT MESSAGES FOR ELECTION PROTEST PARTICIPANTS"

• Don't accept offers of "free pizza" from shadowy government agent types -- it is most likely a ruse to lure you into a back-alley beating. And even if it is a legitimate deal for free food, the pizza won't be very good. After all, we live in Minsk.
• As you know, this is being called the "Denim Revolution." Bring a jacket or shirt to wave in the air as your piece of denim; don't bring pants. In photographs of large crowds, if you're waving pants, it looks like you're not wearing any.
• At the last protest, some people yelled "LukaSKANKo," which is an amusing and offensive variation of our tyrant's name, but not relevant to the election fraud. Try to stay focused.
• We've managed to get a large supply of novelty glasses with frames in the shape of "2006" at a discount -- please wear them to show that we won't wait another year for democracy... the time is now!
• An underground printer has managed to produce new volumes of People's Will, the only independent daily newspaper in Belarus. As a result of government bullying, the new issues are shorter than usual, and unfortunately "The Boondocks" was cut to preserve space for election coverage. It will return with the end of Lukashenko's regime.
• Supporters are urged to wave the flag of Independent Belarus, which Lukashenko banned, to show solidarity. Please note that this is not a carte blanche to display all your previously banned flags, especially if they have swastikas on them or declare a "No Fat Chicks" zone.
• When being interviewed by international media about why you dislike Lukashenko, please stay on topic and stress the evil of his ruthless power-hungry actions rather than his bad comb-over or squeaky voice. A good example to use is the time he declared that he was the only person in the country who could call himself "president" and anyone else using that title, including leaders of sports clubs, must start calling themselves "chairman." But don't all use that example, or it will sound phony.
• Be forewarned that if you are an electrician, police may try extra-hard to goad you into violence in order to get you arrested and confined to the infamous electrical repair shop where prisoners are often sent because our landlocked country does not have a gulag archipelago.
• At the end of the protest, we will march down Independence Prospect to Victory Square. Do not follow pedestrians onto Subjugation Boulevard by mistake. By the way, once democracy is restored, we will pass a measure to rename that boulevard.
• Many of you have requested that young victims of Chernobyl not be allowed to attend the rally because their disfigurements create socially awkward moments. Please remember that Lukashenka's attempts to ban them from seeking medical treatment abroad is one of the reasons for our uprising. If we succeed, they will be allowed to travel, and you won't have to look at them.
• If you own any floodlights, please bring them. They really add pizzaz the nighttime rallies. Do not bring your acoustic guitar unless you know at least 12 protest songs: this is a political demonstration, not a chance for you to get laid like your freshman year of college.