There is a reason why Hollywood legal thrillers always cast the big company as the defendant and never the plaintiff in lawsuits: there is nothing romantic about being sued by a company with deep pockets. There are no opportunities to bang the table and demand the truth; no vindication through articulate and impassioned speeches to the court; and most importantly for an activist, no chance of a victory on the substantive issue that instigated the lawsuit in the first place. In most cases, victory for a defendant in a strategic lawsuit against public participation (or a "SLAPP" as they are commonly known) is pyrrhic: a no cost settlement that leaves you no further ahead and much poorer than when you began.

Attending protests may have more serious consequences for activists if proposed changes to the Identification of Criminals and the sentencing provisions in the Criminal Code are passed by the current government.