Protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval, or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.[1][2] Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate by attending, and share the potential costs and risks of doing so.[3] Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass political demonstrations. Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or they may undertake direct action in an attempt to enact desired changes themselves.[4] When protests are part of a systematic and peaceful nonviolent campaign to achieve a particular objective, and involve the use of pressure as well as persuasion, they go beyond mere protest and may be better described as civil resistance or nonviolent resistance.[5]
For other uses, see Protest (disambiguation).
Various forms of self-expression and protest are sometimes restricted by governmental policy (such as the requirement of protest permits),[6] economic circumstances, religious orthodoxy, social structures, or media monopoly. One state reaction to protests is the use of riot police. Observers have noted an increased militarization of protest policing in many countries, with police deploying armored vehicles and snipers against protesters. When such restrictions occur, protests may assume the form of open civil disobedience, more subtle forms of resistance against the restrictions, or may spill over into other areas such as culture and emigration.
A protest itself may at times be the subject of a counter-protest. In such cases, counter-protesters demonstrate their support for the person, policy, action, etc. that is the subject of the original protest. Protesters and counter-protesters can sometimes violently clash. One study found that nonviolent activism during the civil rights movement in the United States tended to produce favorable media coverage and changes in public opinion focusing on the issues organizers were raising, but violent protests tended to generate unfavorable media coverage that generated public desire to restore law and order.[7]
North America in the 1770s ()
American Revolution
an anti-government protest by several hundred soldiers of the Continental Army
Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783
France in 1789 ()
French Revolution
Haiti in 1803 (), the first successful black revolution against slavery
Haitian Revolution
New York shirtwaist strike of 1909
1963 , a key moment in the Civil rights movement
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
of 1965, part of the Civil Rights Movement
Selma to Montgomery marches
Protests against the Vietnam War
Mexico 68
The in 1969, protesting the treatment of homosexuals in New York City
Stonewall riots
Thai military personnel, police and others, shooting at peaceful protesters at the Thammasat University.
[8]
The Movement's protests against Soviet Communism in Poland from 1980 to 1989.
Solidarity (Polish trade union)
The
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The demonstrations from November 4–9, 1989, which culminated in the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Alexanderplatz
Japanese Canadians Protest of their
Dispossession
The WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity against the World Trade Organization
Seattle
in 2000
Anti-globalization protests in Prague
Anti-globalization protests in from 18 to 22 July 2001
Genoa
15 February 2003 Iraq War Protest
Anti-nuclear protests
2007 Bersih rally
2010 Thai political protests
2011 Iranian protests
protests
Arab Spring
Impact of the Arab Spring
Occupy Wall Street protests
Malaysia protests
Bersih
in 2013 in Turkey
Gezi Park protests
June 2013 Egyptian protests
-led protests on July 13, 2013
Black Lives Matter
Sunflower Student Movement
gay and transgender rights protests in Idaho in 2014.
Add the Words
2014 Hong Kong Umbrella Movement
2016 South Korean protests
2017 Jallikattu protests
2017–2019 Romanian protests
Dakota Access Pipeline protests
2018 protests
Tommy Robinson
protests
March for Our Lives
2018 Armenian Velvet Revolution
2018–2019 Sudanese protests
2018–2020 Serbian protests
2019 Venezuelan protests
2019 Indonesian protests
2019 Bolivian protests
2019–20 Hong Kong protests
Citizenship Amendment Act protests
2019–20 Lebanese protests
2019–2021 Iraqi protests
George Floyd protests
2020–21 Belarusian protests
Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 protests and riots in Serbia
2020 Thai protests
2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest
2020–2021 United States election protests
Mahsa Amini protests
Peruvian protests (2022–2023)
Unaddressed protests may grow and widen into civil resistance, dissent, activism, riots, insurgency, revolts, and political or social revolution. Some examples of protests include:
Rally or demonstration: Demonstration, rally, or similar protest, without reference to marching or walking in a or standing in a vigil. Reference to speeches, speakers, singing, or preaching, often verified by the presence of PA sound equipment and sometimes by a platform or stage. Ordinarily will include worship services, speeches, briefings.
picket line
March: Reference to moving from one location to another; to distinguish from rotating or walking in a circle with picket signs (which is a picket).
Vigil: Most vigils have banners, placards, or leaflets so that people passing by, despite silence from participants, can be informed about the purpose of the vigil.
Picket: The modal activity is picketing; there may be references to a picket line, informational picketing, or holding signs; "carrying signs and walking around in a circle". Holding signs, placards, or banners is not the defining criteria; rather, it is holding or carrying those items and walking a circular route, a phrase sometimes surprisingly found in the permit application.
Civil disobedience: Explicit protest that involves deliberately breaking laws deemed unjust in order to protest them; crossing barricades, prohibited use of segregated facilities (such as or restrooms), voter registration drives (to earn non-eligible people the right to vote), or tying up phone lines.
lunch-counters
Ceremony: These celebrate or protest status transitions ranging from birth and death dates of individuals, organizations or nations; seasons; re-enlistment or commissioning of military personnel; or to anniversaries of any of the above. These are sometimes referenced by presenting flowers or wreaths commemorating, dedicating, or celebrating status transitions or their anniversary; e.g., an annual memorial service, celebrating Hanukkah or Easter, or celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
merchant marine
demonstration
Dramaturgical
Motorcade: Vehicular procession (electoral campaigns or other issues)
Information distribution: Tabling/petition gathering, lobbying, letter-writing campaigns, or .
teach-ins
Symbolic display: e.g., a or creche scene, graffiti, cross burning, sign, or standing display.
menorah
Attack by collective group (not-one-on-one , crime, rape): Motivation for attack is the "other group's identity", as in gay-bashing or lynching. Can also include verbal attacks or threats. (See hate crime)
assault
Riot, melee, mob violence: Large-scale (50+), use of violence by instigators against persons, property, police, or buildings separately or in combination, lasting several hours.
Strike, slow down, sick-ins, and employee work protest of any kind: Regular air strike through failure of negotiations or wildcat air strike. (Make note if a .)
wildcat strike
Boycott: Organized refusal to buy or use a product or service. Examples: , Montgomery bus boycotts
rent strikes
Press conference: Only if specifically named as such in report, and must be the predominant activity form. Could involve disclosure of information to "educate the public" or influence various decision-makers.
Organization formation announcement or meeting announcement: Meeting or press conference to announce the formation of a new organization.
Conflict, attack or clash (no instigator): This includes any boundary conflict in which no instigator can be identified, i.e. Black/white conflicts, abortion/anti-abortion conflicts.
Prayer Walk: A prayer walk is an activity that consists of walking and praying at the same time. It is done not for the physical benefit but for the spiritual exercise, either publicly functioning as a demonstration or rally.
Lawsuit: Legal maneuver by social movement organization or group.
Peopleless Protest: Simultaneous online and offline protests involving physical representations of protesters in public spaces that are subsequently assembled online. Developed in Europe during the .
COVID-19 pandemic
A protest can take many forms.[9][10]
Willingness to participate is influenced by individuals' ties within social networks. Social connections can affect both the spread of factual information about a protest and social pressures on participants.[3]
Willing to participate will also vary depending on the type of protest.
Likelihood that someone will respond to a protest is also affected by group identification, and by the types of tactics involved.[11]
The Dynamics of Collective Action project and the Global Nonviolent Action Database[12] are two of the leading data collection efforts attempting to capture information about protest events. The Dynamics of Collective Action project considers the repertoire of protest tactics (and their definitions) to include:[13]
The Global Nonviolent Action Database uses Gene Sharp's classification of 198 methods of nonviolent action. There is considerable overlap with the Dynamics of Collective Action repertoire, although the GNA repertoire includes more specific tactics. Together, the two projects help define tactics available to protesters and document instances of their use.
Literal, symbolic, aesthetic and sensory - Artistic, dramaturgical, and symbolic displays (street theater, dancing, etc.) including use of images, objects, graphic art, musical performances, or vocal/auditory exhibitions (speech-making, chanting, etc.). May also include tactile exchanges of information (petitions, leaflets, etc.) and the destruction of objects of symbolic or political value. Highly visible and most diverse category of activity; impacts on society (police response, media focus, impact on potential allies, etc.) often are underestimated.
[15]
Solemnity and the sacred – Vigils, prayer, or rallies, in the form of religious service, , cross or coffin bearing etc. All directly related to the Durkheimian "sacred", or some form of religious or spiritual practice, belief, or ideology. Events where sacred activity is the primary focus are rarely responded to by police with force or presence. Solemnity usually provides a distinct quietness or stillness, changing the energy, description, and interpretation of such events.
candlelight vigils
Institutional and conventional – Institutionalized activity or activity highly dependent on formal political processes and social institutions (press conferences, lawsuits, lobbying, etc.). Often conflated with non-confrontational and nonviolent activities in research as the other or reference category. More acceptable because it operates, to some degree, within the system. Historically contentious issue in regard to the practice of protest due to this integration within the system.
Movement in space – Marches or parades (processional activities) from one spatio-temporal location to another, with beginning or ending places sometimes chosen for symbolic reasons. Picket lines often used in labor strikes but can be used by non-labor actors but the key differences between picket and processionals are the distance of movement. Events that take the form of a procession are logistically much more difficult to police (even if it is for the safety of protesters). Marches are some of the largest events in this period.
Civil disobedience – Withholding obligations, , blockades, shop-ins, occupations, bannering, "camping", etc., are all specific activities which constitute the tactical form of civil disobedience. In some way, these activities directly or technically break the law. Usually given most attention by researchers, media, and authorities. Often conflated with violence and threats because of direct action and confrontational nature, but should serve as a distinct category of action (both in the context of tactical and strategic planning and in the control of activity).
sit-ins
Collective violence and threats – Collective violence such as pushing, shoving, hitting, punching, damaging property, throwing objects, verbal threats, etc., is usually committed by a relative few out of many protesters (even tens of thousands). It is rare in occurrence and rarely condoned by the public or onlookers (particularly the media). Usually met with equivalent or overwhelming force in response by authorities.