ONLINE SAFER SPACE POLICY
Open discussion is at the heart of Occupy London. The more people we can involve in our debates, the stronger and more representative the results will be.
Occupy London wants to operate and conduct our discussions in a safe space that is welcoming, engaging and supportive. In order to ensure this we have established some guidelines for participants. These have been agreed by the OccupyLSX General Assembly.
Please note that, as with all forms of direct democracy, this policy is a work in progress. Suggestions are welcome.
1. Safer space. Racism, as well as ageism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia, ableism or prejudice based on ethnicity, impairment, nationality, class, gender, gender presentation, language ability, asylum status or religious affiliation will not be tolerated.
2. Respect. Foster a spirit of mutual respect: Listen to the wisdom everyone brings to the group. Recognize that we try not to judge, put each other down or compete.
3. Assumptions. Avoid assuming the opinions and identifications of other participants. If in doubt, ask.
4. Awareness. Be aware of the language you use in discussion and how you relate to others. Be conscious that people may understand your words differently than you intended.
5. Accessibility. Try to communicate clearly and use plain language. Remember Occupy aims to be the movement of the 99%, so be mindful of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
6. Criticism. Constructive criticism and dissent are welcome, but should be focused on the issue not the person. Personal attacks and false and defamatory accusations will not be accepted.
7. Spam. Repeat posting of the same off-topic posts and spamming of links that have nothing to do with the subject will be banned. This may also apply to people or organisations who frequently post external links or propaganda without adding to the quality of the discussion online. Memberships created solely for these purposes will be banned.
8. Autonomy and self-promotion. Any statement or declaration not released through the General Assembly and made public online should be considered independent of Occupy London. Self-promotional links to one’s own blog, video channel, product, business, etc., even if related to Occupy, are limited to one’s own forum signature and user profile.
9. On topic. If something is posted which is unrelated to the original topic then it may be removed, or moved to a relevant thread by the moderators, in order to keep the thread on track. Before posting, please ask yourself if you’re making a contribution to the discussion and if you are posting in the right thread.
10. Banning. Posts that do not respect the above guidelines will be removed immediately.
Users who repeatedly ignore the above guidelines will be informed that if they continue, they will be banned. Users who have been notified but continue to ignore the guidelines, will be banned. According to the situation a ban can be temporary or indefinate.
11. Moderation. Moderators help enforce these guidelines. The point of moderation is not to limit discussion, or to promote or suppress points of view. The goal of moderation is to keep the forums enjoyable and free from problems that detract from the aim of the media platforms and the experiences of users. Should a moderator abuse her/his position, the other moderators can collectively decide to withdraw moderator status.
12. Responsibility. The bad behaviour of one member is not an excuse for another to not respect this safer space policy. These guideline are a collective responsibility: everyone is personally responsible for their own behaviour. The moderators cannot read all posts so they rely on members to report problems that they encounter.
