A pro-life group is symbolically gagged during a vigil in front of the
Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
Lebanese protest in Sydney during the 2006 Israel Lebanon conflict.
'Protest' expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations: sometimes in favor, though more often opposed. Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly and forcefully making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or may undertake
direct action to attempt to directly enact desired changes themselves.
Self-expression can, in theory, in practice or in appearance, be restricted by
governmental policy, economic circumstances, religious orthodoxy, social structures, or
media monopoly. When such restrictions happen, grumbles or interior opposition may spill over into other areas such as
culture, the streets or
emigration.
A protest can itself sometimes be the subject of a counter-protest. In such a case, counter-protesters demonstrate their support for the person, policy, action, etc. that is the subject of the original protest.
Historical notions
Unaddressed protest may grow and widen
dissent,
activism,
riots, insurgency,
revolts, and political and/or social
revolution, as in:
★ Northern
Europe in the early
16th century (
Protestant Reformation)
★
North America in the 1770s (
American Revolution)
★
France in 1789 (
French Revolution)
★ The
Haymarket riot, 1886, a violent labor protest led by the
Anarchist Movement
★
Martin Luther King's 1963
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a key moment in the
Civil Rights Movement
★ The
Stonewall riots in 1969 protesting the treatment of homosexuals in
New York City
★ The
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
★ The many
ACT-UP AIDS protests of the late 80's and early 90's
★ The Seattle
WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity against the
World Trade Organization
★
Anti-globalization Protests in Prague in 2000
★
Serbia in 2000
★ The YCAC (Youth Campaign Against Conscription) was mainly made up of university students, in which they would organise marches and demonstrations
★ SOS (Save Our Sons) were moderate middle class women who would hold silent protest vigils-founded in 1965
Forms of protest
Recognized forms of protest include:
Public demonstration or political rally
Some forms of
direct action listed in this article are also
public demonstrations or rallies.
★
Protest march
★
Picketing
★
Street protesters
★
Die-in
★
Protest song
★
Silent protest
★
Radical cheerleading
Written demonstration
Written evidence of political or economic power, or democratic justification may also be a way of protesting.
★
Petitions
★
Letters (to show political power by the volume of letters): For example, some letter writing campaigns especially with signed form letter
Civil disobedience demonstrations
Any protest could be
civil disobedience if a “ruling authority” says so, but the following are ''usually''
civil disobedience demonstrations:
★
Public nudity or
topfree (to protest
indecency laws or as a
publicity stunt for another protest such as a war protest)
★
Sit-in
★
Raasta roko (people blocking auto traffic with their bodies)
★ Some other
publicity stunts
As a residence
★
Peace camp
★ Formation of a
tent city
Destructive
★
Riot - Protests or attempts to end protests sometimes lead to rioting.
★
Self-immolation
=== General
direct action ===
★
Nonviolent resistance
★
Occupation
Protesting a government
★
Tax resistance
★
Conscientious objector
★
Flag desecration
Protesting a military shipment
★
Port Militarization Resistance - protests which attempt to prevent military cargo shipments.
By government employees
★
Bully pulpit
★
Judicial activism
Job action
★
Strike action
★
Sitdown strike
★
Walkout
★ work-in
By management
★
Lockout
By tenants
★
Rent strike
By consumers
★
Boycott
★
Consumer Court
★
Public burning/destroying of product, eg. Burning of British cloth during the Non-cooperation movement in India, 1920
Information
★ Informative
letters: thought provoking letter writing campaigns, letters to the editor especially those that the editor appreciates
★
Teach-in
★
Zine
★
Soapboxing
Civil disobedience to censorship
★
Samizdat (distributing censored materials)
★ Protest
Graffiti
Literature, art, culture
★ The 13th century Spanish tale "The Emperor Has No Clothes"
★
Culture jamming
Religious
★
Recusancy
Usage in American English
In
American English, the verb ''protest'' often acts
transitively: ''The students protested the policy''. Elsewhere one can still find
intransitive usage: ''The students protested against the policy''; ''or'': ''The students protested in favor of the policy.''
Teach-In
Early protests began with basic things such as a teach-in these were organised from 1965 onwards, at these speakers representing different viewpoint debated issues.
See also
★
Action on climate change
★
Anti-globalization movement
★
2006 Dalit protests in Maharashtra
★
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
★
France Protest
★
Gandhigiri
★
2006 Indian anti-reservation protests
★
May 1968
★
Police
★
Port Militarization Resistance
★
Protest (baseball)
★
Protest art
★
Protests against the 2003 Iraq war
★
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
★
UK fuel protests
External links
★
Slideshow of pictures from the
Amnesty International denounce torture rally at
Portland, Oregon.
★
Essay examining ICTs and protest
★
High-tech protest at the 2004 Republican National Convention
★
Parenting Versus Protesting: Are They Mutually Exclusive?
★
Is There A Legal Age for Political Dissent? Teens at Protests!
★
Important Protests Mapped on Platial.
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