As for "alienating people," tell me of a public protest or demo that DOESN'T alienate. The idea is to make people sit up and take notice. Generally, that in one way or another is going to alienate people

Well, yes. Any protest will alienate some and attract others. Your goal is to attract as many as possible and alienate as few as possible, so that after the protest you end up in a stronger position than before, not a weaker one.