068 sanctuary
"Sanctuary is an unusual method whereby an individual or, more often, a group of people important to the opponent withdraws to a place where they cannot be touched without violation of religious, moral, social or legal prohibitions. Such violation would, in turn, put the opponent in a new and difficult situation. Temples, churches and other holy places have frequently been such places of refuge. When ancient Egyptian peasants took “flight” to temples, as described in the preceding method, they were using a combination of flight and sanctuary; when they went to hide in the swamps they were using only the method of “flight.” There are examples within both the Christian and the Islamic traditions."...
High scoring campaigns using this method
Historical cases from the Nonviolent Action Database that used this method
Lawrence, MA factory workers strike "for Bread and Roses," U.S. 1912
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men, For they are women's children, and we mother them again. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! - James Opp...
LGBTQ+ Advocates and Corporate Boycotts on Indiana Senate Bill 101, 2015
On 26 March, 2015, U.S. Republican Governor Mike Pence signed Bill 101 into state law after the State Senate approved it by a vote of 40-10. The law, officially titled the “Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA), was set to take effect on ...
French Christians save Jews from Nazi holocaust, Le Chambon, 1940-1944
Le Chambon-sur-Lignon was a community located in south central France. With a history of being a refuge for persecuted Protestant Huguenots in 17th century, it was primarily a Presbyterian town.\n\nIn 1934 Andre Trocme arrived in Le Chambon with his ...
Philadelphians prevent deportation of Honduran immigrant through church sanctuary, United States, 2014-15
The New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) was established to build a community that does not discriminate based on faith, ethnicity, class, and to end injustices against immigrants regardless of their legal or illegal status. They are a national movement of c...
Hondurans in Tacamiche resist eviction by Chiquita Banana company, 1994-1997
In response to labor strikes on banana plantations throughout the country, which were a result of a large drop in wages for plantation workers, Chiquita Brands International closed its plantation in Tacamiche and three other farms in June of 1994 due...
Ovambo migrant workers general strike for rights, Namibia, 1971-72
In 1971 South-West Africa (now Namibia) had been under the rule of South Africa’s apartheid government for more than fifty years. Apartheid laws forced indigenous Namibian tribes to live in assigned tribal areas in the northern third of the country a...
Oskar and Emilie Schindler intervene to save Jews from Nazi genocide, Poland, 1939-1945
Oskar Schindler was not your typical nonviolent savior. There is no doubt that his actions resulted in the saving of the lives of 1,200 Jewish Holocaust prisoners. What makes this story stand out among other nonviolent campaigns was the enormous and ...
Acehnese struggle for self-determination, 1998-2001
For a half-century prior to the Acehnese campaign, the Indonesian government had ruled Aceh, located at the northwestern end of the island of Sumatra. The Acehnese suffered a high level of human rights abuses at the hands of the Indonesian government...
Kenyan mothers win release of political prisoners and press for democratic reform, 1992-1993
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the political atmosphere in Kenya was characterized by brutal government repression and terror. Under the single-party rule of President Daniel arap Moi, any form of political dissension was swiftly met with government...
Rio de Janeiro residents protest World Cup and Olympics 2011-2016
The city of Rio de Janeiro is home to 6 million people with approximately 1.5 million residents living in favelas. These residential communities, named after the favela trees native to the region, are commonly misunderstood by outsiders. Although 32%...
Low scoring campaigns using this method
Historical cases from the Nonviolent Action Database that used this method