Protests

There are two major topics that are consuming public interest on a worldwide basis. The first is the pandemic crisis and the second are the street protests from the United States to Brazil, from France to Australia to Indonesia. Most people will say that the protests were ignited by the horrible death of George Floyd at the hands of American cops.

But for most people Floyd is just a name and is not a recognizable figure. He was not a heroic figure nor did he lead a clean life. His death has become a symbol of systemic racism in society and police brutality.

Sometimes it is difficult to predict what will spark wide scale street protests. In Mexico and South Africa the issue is mainly police violence and corruption. Brazil is a multi racial country. Three quarters of the 6,220 killed by police in 2018 were black even though they were a minority of the nation’s population. Australians are finally discussing their aboriginals, the original settlers of their continent.

Sometimes there are specific events that will serve to galvanize a nation’s emotions and bring them out to the streets. This was the case when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated and suddenly the size of the anti-Marcos protesters began to grow until they reached almost two million in EDSA.

Protest movements aim for large scale social change which is very hard. In order to succeed they need the support of moderate forces which in Philippine society is the middle class.

Struggling against the powerful is a tradition that stretches back generations. Many times change is presented as a gift granted by the powerful, but it has much to do with the struggles and sacrifices of those from below. The Magna Carta was the result of the English barons launching an insurrection against King John. This was in the 13th century. The French Revolution began in the streets of Paris. Although it ushered in a period of terrorism, it also brought to fruit the fight for the rights of the French: liberty, equality, fraternity which have now become universal ideals. The American Civil Rights movement and the Gandhian struggle were both non violent protest movements that relied on the support of the population.

Protest is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent toward an idea or action. It can take many forms from individual statements to mass demonstrations. Governments usually try to restrict protests. These restrictions range all the way from requiring protest permits to the use of the police or even the military. At times, the government may organize a counter protest. In these cases the protests can turn violent. I recently read an article which enumerated the most important examples of protests in modern history:

· Martin Luther King’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a key moment in the American Civil Rights Movement;

· Protests against the Vietnam war;

· The Stonewall riots in 1969 protesting the treatment of homosexuals in New York City;

· The People Power Revolution in the Philippines;

· The Tiananmen protests of 1989;

· The Seattle WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity against the World Trade Organization;

· Anti-globalization protests in Prague in 2000;

· Anti globalization protests in Genoa in 2001;

· Iraqi war protest in 2003; Palestinian First Intifada and Second Intifada;

· Anti-nuclear protests ;

· 2010 Thai political protests;

· Arab Spring protests;

· 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests;

· First black lives matter protests 2013;

· 2014 Hong Kong Yellow Umbrella Movement;

· 2019 anti extradition bill protests;

· Black lives matter ( George Floyd) 2020.

There are actually many forms of protests. Among the repertoire of protest tactics are the following:

· Rally or demonstration refers to speeches, speakers, singing with sound equipment on a platform or a stage.

· March refers to moving from one location to another as distinguished from walking in a circle with picket signs.

· Vigils. Most vigils have banners, placards, or leaflets so that people passing by despite silence from participants can ascertain for what the vigil stands.

· Picket. The modal activity is picketing; there may be references to picket line, to informational picketing, holding signs and walking around in a circle.

· Civil disobedience. Explicit protest that involves deliberate breaking laws deemed unjust in order to protest them.

· Information distribution. Petition gathering, lobbying, letter writing campaign, teach-ins.

· Boycott. Organized refusal to buy or use a product.

Finally, political scientists have analyzed whether protests have any positive effects. So what effects do protests have?

“Political science, it turns out, actually has a lot to say about protests, even though it’s really hard to pinpoint what makes one protest effective and another not. Broadly speaking there are four main ways that literature tries to evaluate a protest:

· Did it raise awareness?

· Did public opinion change?

· Were there institutional changes as a result?

· Were there electoral consequences, either intended or unintended?

One major concern is the role that media, especially social media, plays in these four issues regarding protest. When enough citizens march against an injustice, they can prevail. That is the power of protest.

Creative writing classes for writers of all ages

While Write Things is in hiatus from its regular Saturday sessions at Fully Booked BGC, it has tried to keep its clientele busy with weekly writing topics and prompts disseminated every week to its mailing list. If you should wish to avail of these writing ideas, please message us your email address at Facebook.com/writethingsph or email [email protected].

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]