Publicly denounce the rally

By denouncing this event that is so important to the members of the community, I do not value their right to autonomy and self-determination. I violate their trust and demonstrate a disrespect for their goals and values, which they have shared with me so openly.

I do not show a commitment to reciprocity with your informants and I violate my own acts of self-determination by speaking out against something that I believe is academically and morally sound.

Beneficence:
Speaking out against the event, and indigenous land rights in general, as an anthropologist would benefit those groups and individuals that oppose land rights. I do know and respect some of these people so providing them with the benefits of my opinion being in public may position them to launch a better opposition to this issue.

My speaking out, however, could potentially cause harm to my key informants and friends in the village. As an anthropologist, I am aware that my words carry weight in the community and they would certainly be taken as a betrayal. Not receiving land rights could potentially cause them much harm, leading to a depletion of land as it is sold to outsiders.

By speaking out in this way, I cause harm to the other researchers on my project and in the area in general. The vulnerable community where I work, and others like it, would likely be distrustful and suspicious of ethnographic researchers after my surprise decision.

Justice:
If the judge did return a verdict in favor of the communities, speaking out against it violates the principles of justice in both a literal sense, as well as violating it in terms of my understanding of how allowing indigenous groups to manage their own land is just.

My Decision:
Well, you might have guessed that I didn’t choose this option. The violation of the trust and expectations of the community members, as well as the lack of reciprocity, equaled too much potential harm to both my informants and the research project. In the interest of the greatest beneficence for the most vulnerable players, this option was quickly rejected.