Protest
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March 15, 2003, peace protest in Montreal. |
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A pro-life group is symbolically gagged during a vigil in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. |
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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.
Unaddressed protest may grow and foster
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)
*
United States of America (for example the
Stonewall riots (
1969) or the
Haymarket riot (
1886))
*
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989*
Anti-globalization Protests in Prague in
2000*
Serbia in
2000*
Argentina in
2001 (
December 2001 Riots,
Cacerolazos)
Recognized forms of protest include:
*
Boycott*
Bully pulpit*
Civil disobedience* Some cases of
culture jamming and
graffiti*
Demonstration or rally
*
Die-in*
Flag desecration*
Letters: Letter writing campaigns, letters to the editor,…
*
Literature and
art - such as the 13th century Spanish tale "The Emperor Has No Clothes"
* Lockdown
* Occupation
*
Peace camp*
Petitions
*
Picketing*
Protest march* Protest
rally*
Protest song*
Public nudity* Certain classes of
publicity stunt*
Raasta roko*
Rent strike*
Riot (sometimes protests lead to riots)
*
Satyagraha (non-violent protest)
*
Samizdat and
zine*
Self-immolation*
Sit-in*
Sitdown strike*
Soapboxing
*
Strike action*
Tax resistance*
Teach-in* Formation of a
Tent City*
Topfree*
Walkout*
Action on climate change*
Anti-globalization movement*
First Amendment to the United States Constitution*
May 1968*
Protests against the 2003 Iraq war*
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989*
UK fuel protests*
France ProtestIn
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.*
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!*
France Protest against Anti-Job Law*
East Fife Football Club Supporters' Protest against chairman Brown*
Important Protests Mapped on Platial.
