PROTEST AND

DEMONSTRATION
 INTRODUCTION

• A protest is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or course of

action, typically a political one. Protest can take many different forms, from individual
statements to mass demonstration. 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 directly enact desired changes themselves.
• Demonstration is a method of expression of people’s sentiments / emotions and feelings readily
in favour / support of or in against the government / public organizations / institutions or
associations.
 PROTEST
Definition:
Voicing opinion to influence government and public opinion.
Civil disobedience:
when expressing opinions is forbidden by the government, economic circumstances or religious and cultural factors,
protesters can still present their ideas in a peaceful way.

Who protests?
 Traditional organisation: Agents advocating for social change that are already integrated into the official political
system-trade union, non-governmental organisation, community coalition, faith communities, social service
agencies and political parties-remain key organizers and participants in many campaigns, strikes, factory occupation,
marches and rallies, as well as petition drives and attempts to seek legal/electoral or right based redress.
 TYPES OF PROTESTS

1) Marches
2) Petition and letter writing campaigns
3) picketing
4) Hunger strikes
5) Sit-Ins or Lock-Ins
1. Marches
A group people for the same cause, walking with signs from one point to another. Usually,
there are speakers or musicians along the way.
2. Petition and letter writing campaigns
Sending written messages to persuade companies, individual or government departments
to change policies. These campaigns focus on getting a large number of letters or signatures
by many individuals to show how popular a certain opinion is.
3. Picketing
Gathering at a particular place: outside a company or a government building where a
meeting is held, during a specific time.
4. Hunger strikes
An extreme form of protest to get media or international attention usually for crimes committed by
a government. Protesters stop eating until a demand is met.
5. Sit-Ins or Lock-Ins
A protest in which participants sit inside or outside a company or government office to disrupt
normal business. Protesters refuse to leave until their demands are met.

WHO DO PROTESTERS OPPOSE ?

 Government: The most frequent target for protesters, by a wide margin, is their own national
government-as the legitimate policy-making institution responsible to citizens. 80% of all
Protesters demand that government take responsibility for economic, social and environmental
policies so that they benefit all, instead of the few.
 Political/economic system: Protests against the inadequate political and economic system appear
second in importance, reflecting significant discontent with the working of current democracies.
 Corporation/Employers: opposition to corporate vested interests influencing policy-making,
labour disputes and requests to employers for better wages and working condition, confronting
private interests in natural resources extraction.
 DEMONSTRATION
• Demonstration is a method of expression of people’s sentiments / emotions and feelings readily
in favour / support of or in against the government / public organizations / institutions or
associations.
• In demonstration the individuals gather together to give expression or to manifest their demands
or sentiments.
• The members of demonstrative group are interested more in voicing their grievance, than in
destruction, by organizing meetings, rally or public marches.
• The demonstrative crowd may return into an aggressive / protective crowd if any effort is made
to disperse it by violence means.
• It enables the group to understand better the cause of a problem and also results in an action.
 GOALS OF A DEMONSTRATION

• Advocacy
• Support
• Protest
• Counter-demonstration
• Public relations
• Action
• Advocacy : To urge legislators or the public to look favorably on a bill, adopt a particular idea
or policy or service, or pay attention to the needs of a particular group of people (welfare
recipients or people with disabilities, for instance).

• Support : To express agreement or solidarity with a person or group, with an idea or policy, or
with a particular issue. For example, a group of organizations offering different services might
hold a community demonstration to support the proposed establishment of more and better
services for the homeless in the community.

• Protest : To speak against some injustice, event, public figure, potential occurrence, etc. a
group might demonstrate against the possible establishment of a hazardous waste treatment plant
in their community, or to protest the treatment of community residents by police.
• Counter-demonstration : To respond to a demonstration or other public event already
scheduled by another, antagonistic organization. A civil rights group might organize a
demonstration to balance one by the Ku Klux Klan, for instance; or a group of demonstrators
might organize to counter a rally for a politician whose views they disagree with.
• Public Relations : To advertise or put in a good light an event, issue, organization, segment of
the population, etc.
• Action : To actually accomplish a specific substantive purpose, prevent or to influence the
course of events. Such actions might include workers on a picket line blocking replacement
workers access to a factory, or peace activists chaining themselves to the gates of a military base;
it can also include demonstration participants breaking up into constituent groups to visit their
legislators.
 FORMS OF A DEMONSTRATION

While many of us are used to thinking of demonstration in the form of mass marches or gatherings,
often with signs, there are actually several ways to shape a demonstration.
 Marches and parades
 Rallies
 Picketing
 Sit-ins
 Vigils
 Street theater
• Marches and Parade : Marches, in which a parade demonstrate while moving along a set
route.

• Rallies : Demonstrators gather on their own at a particular place, where they listen to speeches or
participate in other activities expressing their concerns (music, skits, and or remarks by celebrities
are common). Rallies, like marches, are usually associated with advocacy, support, protest, and
counter-demonstration, in addition to providing opportunities for powerful expressions in the media.

• Picketing : A group of people carrying signs expressing their concerns and, often, identifying
their allies and antagonists, stands or walks in front of a building or facility that is the target of their
demonstration. In a labor dispute, the effort may be to convince replacement workers not to enter
during a strike; a consumer group may picket a store in an effort to persuade potential customers
that they’re better off shopping elsewhere
• Sit-ins : In a sit-in, demonstrators do just that: occupy a space in a government office, a street, a
particular building, a park, etc and sit down. Sometimes, a sit-in is accompanied by speeches or
other activities; sometimes it is silent. It may involve trespassing, and thus be illegal, it may simply be
a statement of people’s right to be in a particular place, or it may be meant as a moral statement.
• Vigils : A vigil is similar to a sit-in, but seldom challenges the law, and is often silent. Demonstrators
generally gather to call attention or bear witness to an event or situation, to remember or honor an
individual and her ideas, and or to gain strength and moral force from one another. They may engage
in some activity—lighting and or marching with candles, holding portraits of people jailed for
political crimes. Vigils are most frequently employed when the issue is seen as a moral one.
• Street theater : The use of actors or puppets, often in fantastic costumes, to make fun of or otherwise
discredit politicians and others in power goes back at least to ancient Greece. Street theater can be
effective because it draws a crowd, often makes points in a humorous way that people can easily
understand, and appeals both to people’s mistrust of authority and their sense of fun.
 WHY ORGANIZE A DEMONSTRATION

Other methods haven’t succeeded : You may have tried a number of different
methods to bring your message to the public or to convince lawmakers to change or institute a
policy, and gotten nowhere. A public demonstration may be necessary to gain the kind of
attention you need to push your initiative.
 Timing : The time is a particularly crucial one; the Legislature or Town Council is about to be
cut for some of your organization’s participants; budget decisions are being made. You have to
get your message out in a powerful way at this particular time.
 Have a public impact : You want to make the biggest impression possible on the public
consciousness. A well-planned and well-executed demonstration can provide that impression.
• Energize your constituents : Sometimes the public effect of a demonstration may be less
important than its effect on those who already support and are working for your cause. The
emotional impact of a demonstration on those who take part in it can energize an initiative for the
long haul, and keep people working and hopeful even through those periods– and every cause or
initiative has them– when nothing seems to be happening.
• Draw attention to cause : an effective public demonstration can wake people up to the existence
of an issue or problem, the need to do something about it, and the existence of support for that
position. It can also raise the profile of your organization, and identify it as a power to be
reckoned with when it comes to your issue.
 ELEMENTS OF A PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION
Panning
 What to accomplish
 What should happen
 Plan your program
 Day, date, time, and place
 How to get people to come
 Work out the logistics
 Pre-empt possible problems.
Lead time
 Allow yourself plenty of time to reach your goals.
 Find the perfect venue far in advance.
 Book any special guests far in advance.
Communication
 Design an effective communication system.
 Develop a plan for publicity of demonstration.
 Orchestrate media coverage.
 Ensure good communication before, during and after event.

Follow-up
Immediate and long-term efforts should include:
 Follow-up with intended audience
 Follow-up with constituents
 Publicity of success
 Media coverage
 Organization of other events
 institutionalization
•THANK YOU