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  3. Demonstrations

Demonstrations

Last updated
Thursday, 25/11/2021

 

Demonstrations and civil unrest are common around the world. They can be peaceful or violent. They can range in scale from a few people at a small local rally, to a large demonstration or riots with 1000s of people.

This article provides information and advice on staying safe overseas if there are demonstrations or unrest.

  • Research before you go
  • Stay safe while you’re away
  • Urgent help
  • More information

Research your destination before you go

The better prepared you are, the safer and more enjoyable your travel will be.

  • Read the travel advisory for your destination so you can weigh up risks and make informed decisions about your travel. See our advice in the ‘Safety’ section.
  • Subscribe to receive updates on your destination.
  • Follow Smartraveller on Facebook and Twitter, as well as the social media of the Australian embassy or high commission for your destination.
  • Monitor the media for information and updates about your destination. Keep an eye on current events and find out if there’s increased tension around any social or political topics. This can lead to unrest.
  • Keep the contact details of local authorities handy. See the local contacts in the travel advisory for your destination.

Stay safe while you’re away

Avoid all protests, demonstrations and rallies. Even peaceful events can turn violent without warning.

  • Monitor the media and stay away from any areas around the unrest.
  • Resist the urge to go and watch as a tourist. In some countries, it’s illegal to protest or demonstrate. Local authorities may consider you a protester just for being nearby, watching or taking photos.
  • Be prepared to change your travel plans.
  • Follow instructions from local authorities.
  • If you’re caught up in a potentially dangerous situation, leave the area as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Urgent help

  • Seek help from local emergency authorities. See our travel advisories for the local contacts for your destination.
  • If you need urgent help from the Australian Government:
    • contact the nearest Australian embassy, high commission or consulate
    • phone the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra on +61 2 6261 3305
  • Keep your family and friends updated on your situation.

More information

  • See our general information and advice on demonstrations and how to stay safe
  • See our advice on what to do when there’s a demonstration or civil unrest
  • See our information on what to do when you need urgent help
  • Read the Consular Services Charter for what the Australian Government can and can’t do to help you overseas.

Emergency consular assistance

The Australian Government provides 24-hour consular emergency assistance.

+61 2 6261 3305 from overseas

1300 555 135 from within Australia

For how we can help you overseas see the Consular Services Charter.

Enquiries and feedback

For non-urgent enquiries, or to provide feedback on consular services that you've recently received, contact us online.

For information on notarial services, email legalisations.australia@dfat.gov.au

To report a vulnerability you’ve identified on this website or to find out more about the department’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy visit the DFAT website

About us

Smartraveller is provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

For more information go to about us.

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  • Before you go
    • The basics
      • Destinations
      • Europe and the Schengen Area
      • Getting a foreign visa
      • Travel insurance
      • CHOICE travel insurance buying guide
    • Who you are
      • Academics
      • Colour, race, ethnicity, or religion
      • Dual nationals
      • Journalists
      • LGBTQIA+
      • Mature and older travellers
      • School leavers
      • Travelling with children
      • Travelling with a disability
      • Travelling with pets
      • Women
    • Activities
      • Adoption
      • Antarctica and the Arctic
      • Backpacking
      • Business
      • Living and working overseas
      • Marriage
      • Retiring overseas
      • Sports and adventure
      • Studying
      • Surrogacy
      • Volunteering
    • Major events
      • Cultural events
        • Travel overseas for Anzac Day
      • Religious events
        • Travel overseas for Ramadan
        • Travel overseas for Hajj
      • Sporting events
        • Rugby League Las Vegas 2025
    • Health
      • Infectious diseases
      • Going overseas for a medical procedure
      • Medical assistance overseas
      • Medication and medical equipment
      • Mental health
      • Organ transplant tourism
      • Pregnancy
      • Reciprocal health care agreements
      • What happens if you die overseas
    • Staying safe
      • Armed conflict
      • Assault
      • Cyber security
      • Earthquakes and tsunamis
      • Kidnapping
      • Natural disasters
      • Partying safely
      • Piracy
      • Protests and civil unrest
      • Scams
      • Severe weather
      • Sexual assault
      • Terrorism
      • Theft and robbery
    • Laws
      • Carrying or using drugs
      • Child sex offences
      • Female genital mutilation
      • Forced marriage
    • Getting around
      • Air travel
      • Boat travel
      • Cruising
      • Public transport
      • Road safety
  • Destinations
    • View all destinations
    • Africa
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  • While you're away
    • When things go wrong
      • Arrested or jailed
      • Lost property
      • Medical assistance
      • Money problems
      • Someone is missing
      • Someone died
    • Crime overseas
      • Assaulted
      • Robbed or mugged
      • Sexually assaulted
    • Crisis or emergency
      • Earthquake
      • Severe weather
      • Volcanic eruption
      • Bushfire
      • Nuclear incident
    • Australia's biosecurity and border controls
  • Urgent help
  • Our services
    • Consular State of Play
      • Data
      • Case studies
      • Images
      • Videos
      • Audio
      • Historical data
    • Consular Services Charter
      • ميثاق الخدمات القنصلية (Arabic)
      • 领事服务章程 (Chinese Simplified)
      • 領事服務章程 (Chinese Traditional)
      • Panduan Layanan Konsuler (Indonesian)
      • 領事サービス憲章 (Japanese)
      • 영사 서비스 헌장 (Korean)
      • กฎบัตรว่าด้วยบริการต่าง ๆ ของกงสุล (Thai)
      • Quy định về Dịch Vụ Lãnh Sự (Vietnamese)
    • Communities
      • العربية (Arabic)
      • Bahasa Indonesia
      • 中文 简体 (Chinese Simplified)
      • 中文繁體 (Chinese Traditional)
      • 日本語 (Japanese)
      • 한국어 (Korean)
      • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
      • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
      • Filipino community
      • Indian community
    • Crises
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