Protest

Protest expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations: sometimes in favour, 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.

Table of contents

1 Causes
2 Historical Examples
3 Forms of Protest
4 See also

Causes

Wherever governmental policy, economic circumstances, religious orthodoxy, social structures, or media monopoly restrict self-expression in theory, in practice or in appearance, grumbles or interior opposition may spill over into other areas such as culture, the streets or emigration.

Historical Examples

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 (see Protestant Reformation)
North America in the 1770s (see American Revolution)
France in 1789 (see French Revolution)
United States of America in the late 20th-century (see for example Stonewall riots)
Serbia in 2000.

Forms of Protest

Canonical forms of protest include:

parts of the Anti-globalization movement
boycotts
Charta 77
civil disobedience
some cases of culture jamming and graffiti
demonstrations
flag desecration
non-violent protest
occupation
picketing
protest marches
protest songs
certain classes of publicity stunt
samizdat and zines
sit-ins
die-ins
strike action
terrorism