A banner drop is the protest action of putting a

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

in public place to spread a message and raise awareness. The banner may target a corporation, a law, a political campaign, or any activism. The banner may itself be dropped on an activists' target, or in conjunction with the beginning of a campaign. Performing a banner drop may constitute criminal

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...

and criminal trespassing depending on where the banner is placed and on the legal jurisdiction in which the activity occurred. There are several ways in which banners are constructed and placed. Most often, a banner is decorated with an activist slogan or picture using paint, dye or, in some cases, screen printing. The banner is then often either tied to the target or secured to it using ropes and weights.

Global banner drop

#BridgesNotWalls was a global banner drop campaign to protest against

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's stance on immigration. On January 20, 2017, the day of Trump's presidential inauguration, activists around the world dropped banners from over 200 iconic bridges across five continents. In London, banners were dropped from at least eight bridges spanning the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

including the

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to: England * Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol * Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent * Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

and

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

bridges. Other historic bridges were scenes of banner drops including Ironbridge in England, North Bridge in Scotland,

Dyfi Bridge , native_name_lang = cy , image = Machynlleth - panoramio (1).jpg , image_upright = , alt = , caption = West side of the bridge , coordinates = , os_grid_reference = SH744019 ...

in Wales, Oberbaum Bridge in Germany, Auckland Harbour Bridge in New Zealand, as well as bridges in Australia, France, Ireland, Nepal, and the United States. Rallies were also held in Japan, the Philippines, Belgium, Tokyo, and Moscow.

Gallery

Banner drops can vary greatly. Here are some samples of actual banner drops. File:Coal law protest Greenpeace banner Reichstag Berlin 2020-07-03 56.jpg, Banner hung on the Berlin

Reichstag building The Reichstag (, ; officially: – ; en, Parliament) is a historic government building in Berlin which houses the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's parliament. It was constructed to house the Imperial Diet (german: Reichstag) of the ...

in protest against the

coal phase-out Coal phase-out is an environmental policy intended to stop using the combustion of coal in coal-burning power plants, and is part of fossil fuel phase-out. Coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, therefore phasing it out is critical ...

law (2020) File:Teen Activist Banner-Drop in Bois, ID Breach Dams Save Salmon.jpg, Activists for wild salmon conservation (Idaho, 2021) File:Apollo House occupation.jpg, 2017 Home-Sweet-Home campaign in Ireland, protest-squatting in an office building slated for demolition File:Protest banner against Nobian, Winschoten (2022) 07.jpg, Banner protesting salt mining in Netherlands, 2022 File:Black Lives Matter protest signs.jpg, Banners covering the fence erected around Lafayette Square following the clearing of the park for a Trump photo op (2020) File:Shaheen Bagh protests Wikipedia banner at the protest site.jpg, A Wikipedia page made into a drop banner,

Shaheen Bagh protest The Shaheen Bagh protest was a peaceful sit-in protest in Delhi, India, that began on 15 December 2019 and lasted until 24 March 2020. The protest was led by women who blocked a major road at Shaheen Bagh using non-violent resistance 24×7. M ...

s, 2020 File:Lion Rocks Umbrella Revolution Banner 20141024.jpg, Vertical protest banner on Lion Rock over Hong Kong, Umbrella Revolution, 2014 File:光復香港時代革命，香港機場.jpg, Liberate Hong Kong banner inside

Hong Kong airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...

, 2019

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Banner drop guide
by

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

(2019) Protest tactics Vandalism

Global banner drop

Gallery

See also

References

External links