Do you think sit down protests would work in this day and time? Imagine a couple hundred people in your city all got together, sat down in the town square and started ripping billies. Not hurting anyone, just doing as they please and refusing to move or cooperate.

How would the police handle it?

- ♫.i.b.y.v.n.t.h.♫

They would set up a fence around the people. Then throw hungry rats and molotov cocktails in there.

Depends entirely on whether they are obstructing the entrance to any premises. If they are preventing people getting in and out of buildings or obstructing traffic then the police would move them. If the protestors reacted badly to being moved then they could get slapped with public order offenses. However, if they are just sat in the middle of the square the police would have no power to move them.

most likely not care

I've come to the conclusion that most public protests are actually counter-productive, I think you'd do more good by raising awareness about the issues online, on forums and blogs.

I agree with them being counterproductive along with being a nuissance.


Peace

I disagree. With online blogs you only attract people who already agree with you. If you actually go out and make a physical demonstration you get the attention of all passers-by. Some will disagree with you (and not hesitate to tell you so ), some will pick up a leaflet and think "well, I never knew that" and possibly become a more active supporter. It's a little pointless "raising awareness" with people who are already perfectly aware. That's not to say web sites aren't invaluable; a lot of protests now carry banners with web adresses on as a means of spreading the word amongst an audience they wouldn't usually have.

Lewcifer beat me to it...

Set yourself on fire in front of a courthouse and see how many hits your blog gets.

Protests are very productive.

For more information on the effectiveness of protest...google Martin Luther King Jr.

http://www.bondsauctions.com/DWTB/standoff.jpg
Stand up

yeah, that worked really well...