Gear Up! emerged in response to police violence and increasing restrictions on the right to protest in Germany, especially as these issues have escalated around the Palestine solidarity movement since October 7th, 2023.

The project aims to create spaces for exchange and introduces creative engagement in protest, empowering people to take their own actions or find their way into activism.

The group created a zine that offers practical information for protesters in Berlin and examples of tools used in protest - such as noise makers - and how these have been used in previous actions internationally.

In workshops, they designed and made vests together. These vests can hold some of these protest tools, including practical items like face masks and tissues for protection, water balloons and soap bubbles to distract the police, and a whistle to make noise. The vest also has a transparent pocket on the back for carrying banners, and strong carabiners that can link with other vests - useful for forming human chains during protests.

Gear Up! is a collaboration between Miriam Poletti, abstraqt and Jona Wolf, but ongoing conversations with activists, lawyers, and journalists continue to contribute to the project.