Amnesty International Protect The Human badges

The Protect The Human badge was part of a major Amnesty International campaign launched in 2005. It aimed to make human rights a visible and everyday concern.

Background ✊

The slogan 'Protect The Human' was simple but powerful, reminding people that Amnesty’s mission is about protecting people’s basic rights globally — freedom of speech, freedom from torture, fair trials, and other fundamental rights.

The badge, usually black with white or yellow text saying 'PROTECT THE HUMAN' or showing the Amnesty candle-and-barbed-wire logo, was designed to:

• Raise awareness of human rights violations
• Show solidarity with those whose rights were being denied.
• Encourage people to take action and support Amnesty’s work

The campaign and its associated badge became popular among activists, students, musicians, and even celebrities during that period, including the actor James Nesbitt (main image).

Design and release of the badge 🪧

The placard badge has a black background with uppercase letters reading PROTECT THE HUMAN. In the top right corner is the Amnesty International logo of a candle wrapped in barbed wire.

The badge came in three colours — green, purple and yellow.

There is no official public record of how many Protect the Human badges were made. Amnesty International never formally published production numbers.

However, based on:

• The scale of the campaign (it was international, but especially big in the UK, Europe, and parts of North America)
• The fact that badges were given out at thousands of events, protests, university fairs, festivals, and concerts
• Plus, they were also sold via Amnesty shops and online for several years

It’s safe to say that tens of thousands (if not low hundreds of thousands) were produced between around 2005–2010.

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