Complaint Day: Step by step instructions for making a complaint

Before the action

1. Download the complaint adapted to the legal situation in your country from the Bombspotting website : www.bombspotting.be and make sure that all participants of your group/region receive a copy of the complaint.

2. In most countries, the official complaint can be handed in, in person, at your local police station. Check the official way to file a complaint in your region/city. It could be useful to check this with a local lawyer or with the local authorities to make sure that your complaint will be accepted.

3. Decide when and where your action will take place and communicate this to all (potential) participants.

4. Why not get in touch with other groups in your region and try to convince them to join the action? Why not ask politicians or celebrities to take part? We have learned from similar complaint actions in the past that the presence of politicians (MP's, local politicians, mayors) or celebrities gives an extra symbolic value to the action. Imagine MP's filing a complaint against their own government!

5. Don't forget to inform the press of your city/region about your action. We have learned from similar complaint actions in the past that the local press is often more interested in actions taking place at a very local level. Reaching the local press is also a way to get the topic of nuclear disarmement closer to the local communities.

6. Get in touch with the international coordination team (international[at]bombspotting.be) to communicate about your wild plans. We will publish this information on the Bombspotting website for extra outreach.

During the Complaint Action

1. Make sure that all participants have a copy of the complaint and are informed about the why's and how's of the action. You can do that by giving a detailed briefing to all participants before starting the action. This briefing should obviously include all details about the way to file an official complaint in your country.

2. Make sure that all participants have the contact details of the local organizers so that they can get in touch with you if they hear anything about the consequences of their complaint afterwards. You can also collect the contact details of all participants to keep them informed of the overall results of the action afterwards.

3. Appoint a press speaker within your group to deal with the press during and after the action. You can download a standard press release on the Bombspotting website and adapt it to your local situation.

4. If you meet officials (police officers, court clercks,...) during the complaint action, make sure that all participants remain calm, polite and strictly non-violent (physically and verbally). This is crucial to make sure that the complaints are processed correctly and objectively. You can appoint a person who will be in charge of all contacts with the authorities during the action to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Don't forget that your complaint action probably means a lot of extra work for the local authorities!

5. If you complaint is not accepted, then you should send a copy to the higher instance of that authority, for example the head of the local police, or a higher court. You could also send a copy of the complaint to members of the government.

After the Complaint Action

1. We need to know how things went during your local/national action to get a full picture of the action at European level. Please send the following information to the international coordination team (by e-mail : iinternational[at]bombspotting.be)

a. How many people officially filed a complaint?
b. Did the authorities accept to process the complaint?
c. Did any celebrities or politicians (MP's, mayor,...) file a complaint?
d. Were there any journalists (local/national press) to cover the action?
e. How was the general atmosphere during the action?

2. If you have collected pictures of your action, please send them as soon as possible to international[at]bombspotting.be so that we can upload them on the Bombspotting website.

3. During the whole of November, we will post regular updates of the actions everywhere in Europe on the Bombspotting website. So, don't hesitate to visit regularly www.bombspotting.be and to inform the participants to your local action about how things are going everywhere in Europe.

4. On the 24th of November, a final roundup will be published on the Bombspotting website and will be sent to all groups who took part in the action.

5. On the 24th of November, Bombspotting and Greenpeace will also hire a bailiff to deliver a summons to the NATO Secretary General in Brussels. This summons will officially state the elements of humanitarian law NATO nuclear policy is violating, will refer to the complaints being made the month before everywhere in Europe, and point to their legal duty to change the policy.

IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS OR REMARKS, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR NATIONAL CONTACT PERSON OR CONTACT THE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION TEAM

Good luck!