The Power and Purpose of Political Protest

The Role of Political Protest

10 Ways Youth Can Engage in ActivismOur country has a long history of youth-led movements that brought about significant social change. Young people have advocated for child labor laws, voting rights, civil rights and more. Here are ideas for bringing social activism into the classroom and outside of the school walls.

The Four Roles of Social Activism by Bill MoyerFour different roles activists and social movements need to play in order to successfully create social change: the citizen, rebel, change agent & reformer.

Six reasons why protest is so important for democracy Why is protest so fundamental for human rights and democratic society? Here are six basic reasons why we need to protect and exercise the right to protest.

The Purpose and Power of ProtestTalk with your family about the purpose, history and impact of protests. (Ages 8 and up)

Global Political Protests and the Future of Democracy

Protesting is as important as votingBy framing voting as the be all, end all form of engagement, we minimize protesting’s power to change policy.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward: How Protest Movements Defend and Deepen Democracy - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs

Protesting peacefully, to change the world - Greenpeace CanadaFor more than 40 years we have been using peaceful protest to bring about change. Non-violence is a core principle of Greenpeace and at the heart of all of our activities. Our non-violent direct actions have proved essential to the success of campaigns in exposing environmental crimes, confronting unjust activities and stopping environmental destruction.

Protest isn't terrorismRhetorical escalation can be deadly

Protest: Philosophy and Inspiration

5 Times Peaceful Protests Made a Difference in HistoryHow do we raise our voices to address injustice in ways that promote peaceful and respectful communication?

Do Protests Even Work?It sometimes takes decades to find out.

Global Protest TrackerA one-stop source for following crucial trends in the most significant antigovernment protests worldwide.

Why Nonviolence? — Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service

The Climate Movement. Have we reached Critical Mass?

Cap

Oct 19, 2020 — To reach 3.5% of the global population, we'd need 273 million people to reach critical mass. Are we nearly there? Possibly!

The big idea: how can we live ethically in a world in crisis?As global events spin us into anxious helplessness, effective altruism offers a solution

Is civil disobedience a moral obligation in a time of climate crisis? | Aeon EssaysCould civil disobedience be morally obligatory in a society on a collision course with climate catastrophe?

Civil Disobedience: Advantages and Disadvantages1. Introduction Paragraph 1. Can the exclusion of social harms from this wider critique of the law and the state be justified? I argue in this paper that they cannot. To do so, I apply a fresh perspective on civil disobedience in the light of civil resistance theory that offers a clear and expansive understanding of its role, its distinctive characteristics, its justifications, and its significant potential to advance a wide range of different causes. This perspective has significant implicatio

Does peaceful protest work? | Greenpeace UKWithout peaceful protest, the world would be a different place.

Are peaceful protests more effective than violent ones?Largely peaceful protests against the killing of Black people by police have been occasionally marred by outbreaks of violence as police use tear gas and rubber bullets on crowds and protesters loot stores and burn cars. But while violence might seem like the fastest route to social change, it’s not the most sustainable, says Gordana Rabrenovic, associate professor of sociology.

Why Violent Protests WorkA conversation with author and University of Pennsylvania professor Daniel Q. Gillion about the history of protests in America and how they've inspired actual policy change.

Peaceful protests: Are non-violent demonstrations an effective way to achieve change?From Extinction Rebellion to anti-government protests, many demonstrations rely on peaceful tactics to achieve their goals. But are nonviolent campaigns the best way to raise public awareness of a cause?

What is Nonviolent Action? | FOR Peace Presence

Instead, nonviolence is active. Nonviolent action implies a commitment to utilizing nonviolent and creative means (e.g. acts of protest and persuasion, ...

NonviolenceAs a theologian, Martin Luther King reflected often on his understanding of nonviolence. He described his own “pilgrimage to nonviolence” in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom, and in subsequent books and articles. “True pacifism,” or “nonviolent resistance,” King wrote, is “a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love” (King, Stride, 80). Both “morally and practically” committed to nonviolence, King believed that “the Christian doctrine of love operating through the Gandhian method of nonviolence was one of the most potent weapons available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom” (King, Stride, 79; Papers 5:422).

30 Key Pros & Cons Of Protests & Demonstrations - E&CDemonstrations can be quite important to make political change. In this article, the pros and cons of protests are examined in detail.

Many protest movements of the past decade have backfired. What would it take for one to succeed under Trump?Some features of mass protests in the 2010s also held them back – but years of study have made journalist Vincent Bevins believe solidarity and structure can effect change

Planning and Organizing Peaceful Protests

How to plan a peaceful protest | PEN AmericaPeaceful protest is a powerful tool for political statements and a constitutionally protected form of expression. When executed effectively, a public

Organizing a Protest, Walkout or Boycott - NYRAProtests are a good way to raise awareness and demonstrate support for an issue. They can also help people feel they are part of a bigger movement and inspire them to action. The goal of protesting isn’t just to yell and hold up signs, it’s to inspire change and influence your community. However, protests can …

HOW TO ORGANIZE A PEACEFUL PROTEST OR VIGIL

Organizing a vigil can help your community turn pain, fear, and anger into action, and is the next step in building a powerful movement to protect human rights.

Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy of ResistanceWhat to learn from Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of peaceful protest and nonviolent resistance.

A Guide to Staging an Impactful Protest in Your Own CityBring the fight for justice and equality to the suburbs with some help from experienced activists.

Future Coalition | Youth Climate Movement | One EarthThis project supports youth-led efforts calling for clear, scientifically backed goals and solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss.

350.org - Building a global climate movement.Building a global climate movement.

Below is a comprehensive and outstanding selection of resources: Websites, books, podcasts, films & documentaries, scientific research, articles, and blogs.

Activist Handbook | Campaigning guides for activists

We write guides for activists. Learn how to become an activist, plan a political campaign strategy, and start a grassroots movement - all while not burning out.

‎Activist resources · ‎Digital tools for activists 🛠️ · ‎Grassroots organizing · ‎Campaigns

Nonviolence News: A Record-Breaking Year - Rivera SunMay 11-18, 2019 Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun: By the numbers, Nonviolence News covers stories that involve millions of people. Civil disobedience arrests are happening by the dozens. Demonstrations involve thousands. Strikes include hundreds of thousands. This week alone, Nonviolence News is covering stories about 100-200,000 French protesters, 300,000 teachers on strike in Poland, thousands […]

Movements_Campaigns ArchivesThe Commons Library exists to make social movements smarter & stronger. Here are tools to respond to the challenges of the world we live in.

Models ArchivesThe Commons Library exists to make social movements smarter & stronger. Here are tools to respond to the challenges of the world we live in.

Campaigning - Strategy ArchivesThe Commons Library exists to make social movements smarter & stronger. Here are tools to respond to the challenges of the world we live in.

What Makes a Successful Protest?

Chatham House

Protest should always be seen as a legitimate avenue towards policy change and influence, and one that must therefore professionalize to make politics more reflective of societies’ wants, needs and demands. To this end, ten members of the Common Futures Conversations community discuss impactful protest below.

Rights of Protesters | American Civil Liberties Union

Seven Tips on How to Organize a Peaceful Protest - UMass

Dec 5, 2016 — 1. Start now! · 2. Identify Strong and Courageous Leadership · 3. Build Momentum (and Don't Give Up) · 4. Diversify and Build Consensus · 5. Create ...

How to Organize a Protest or March - Hollaback!

Establish a support system of organizations that are interested in becoming co-sponsors of the march and individuals who can help with planning the event.

Organising Your First Protest - The CommonsLearn how to organize your first protest - Resources from the Article 20 Network including a recorded discussion with experience organizers.

How to ProtestWhen you just can't stay silent on a particular issue, expressing your views through civil protest is a positive way to make a difference. Gathering with other people to collectively speak out against wrongdoing is a fundamental right and...

protest AND HUMAN RIGHTS - Organization of American States

participation in peaceful protests can be an important form of exercising the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, of expression, of association and of ...

Peaceful protest is much more effective than violence for toppling dictatorsHere's why violent uprisings tend to fail, but nonviolence works.

Facilitating Peaceful Protests - Geneva AcademyThe general duty to facilitate peaceful assembly includes obligations of specific importance for peaceful protest: ▫ To presume in favour of permitting ...

How-To’s for Effective Peaceful ProtestGuides for making props, art, radio & more.

How to design a great protest sign - 99designsProtest signs can be funny or serious, hand-drawn or professionally designed, but they should make a point. We've got some advice and critiques.

Protest Tips and Resources | NYU School of Law

Best Practices for Protesting Safely · Do not attend any gatherings if you feel ill. · Have a trusted friend who is not at the protest who can make sure you left ...

SEL: Nonviolent Protest Simulation | Learning to Give

The hope is that this activity might inspire the next Greta Thunberg or Malala Yousafzai to take action and create change!

Understanding the Methods of Nonviolent ActionJoshua Kirshbaum (2018) Table of Contents Introduction 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action Introduction People have been using nonviolent action for thousands of years. Let’s start by talking about one of my favorite videos. It involves Jamila Raqib. For a living, she promotes nonviolent resistance to people living under tyranny, and she shares with us the importance of nonviolent action in today’s society. She explains: “The greatest hope for humanity is in not condemning violence but making viole

Fridays For Future – A few reasons to save the world.For our lives and the lives of coming generations, animals and plants – there are many reasons to act now.

Bill Moyer's Movement Action PlanSummary of Bill Moyer’s Movement Action Plan. He describes 8 stages through which social movements normally progress over a period of years & decades.

Activism ArchivesCommons Library exists to make social movements smarter & stronger. Here are tools about Activism to respond to the great challenges of the world we live in.

Announcing our new Climate Engagement Lab, designed to support UK campaigners - Climate OutreachCampaigning is hectic, time is short, and help can be hard to find. We're supporting climate campaigner through our new Climate Engagement Lab

PEACEFUL PROTEST RESOURCES

CLX - Climate Litigation Accelerator ToolkitCLX Toolkit at NYU Law's Earth Rights Advocacy Clinic, is a global collaborative hub that catalyzes legal strategies, tools, and ideas needed to secure urgent and ambitious climate action.

Fossil Free University | Home

FFU is a 12 week training course for climate justice activists around the world who want to channel the power of the youth movement to the source of the climate crisis. Created by #pollutersout, FFU teaches how to be a climate justice leader and fight the fossil fuel industry.

Handbook for climate activists - Guides for climate activists

Read the Climate Activism Handbook & stop climate change. Guides, resources, trainings. Hey climate activists, we wrote a guide for you. Read the handbook &...

More than 1,000 climate scientists urge public to become activists‘We need you,’ says Scientist Rebellion, which includes authors of IPCC reports on climate breakdown, as diplomats meet for Cop28

Climate Disobedience Center

How effective are climate protests at swaying policy — and what could make a difference?Why people take to the streets to march against global heating is relatively well documented. But it’s unclear why certain tactics work better than others in reaching the public and policymakers.

New Citizenship Project | On Purpose

New Citizenship Project

The New Citizenship Project is a social innovation lab, using skills honed in creative and strategy consultancy to help catalyse the shift to a more participatory society. We want to reclaim the idea of the ‘Citizen’. Studies show that when we think of ourselves as just consumers, we’re less likely to tackle society’s biggest problems, from climate change to international inequality. When we think of ourselves as citizens, we’re more likely to participate, volunteer and come together to make our society stronger and more effective.

Protest is an invaluable way to speak truth to power.Our right to protest is under attack, threatened by those in power who are scared of the change people can bring.

Game Changer IntensiveDiscover how to actually reverse global warming in this 8-week course that prepares you to engage in effective collective action in the world.

Climate Emergency Fund

The Climate Emergency Fund, raises funds and makes grants to emerging groups to recruit, train and prepare for mass protest and nonviolent civil resistance.

Young female climate activists face hateful abuse online“They feel they have the right to degrade us,” said Theresa Sebastian, 15, from Cork, in the Republic of Ireland.

Climate Defiance

How to be a hands-on citizen | Psyche GuidesYou can be so much more than a well-informed consumer: it is in your (and our) power to change society from the ground up

Protest Tips and Resources | NYU School of Law Protest Tips and Resources The right to protest is a fundamental right protected by the US Constitution and the First Amendment, but there are risks in participating in these events, especially for Black and Brown people. This page compiles information on what people should keep in mind in order to protect themselves and others while protesting.

A guide to protesting

Scientist Rebellion

Scientist Rebellion — Donate or Join

We are scientists, calling for a climate revolution. DonateJoin us! ... If you'd like to support Scientist Rebellion with your talents and capacity…

Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice

About Us - Scientist Rebellion

Where We Fit Within Extinction Rebellion · 1) Technological decentralisation. We use open source and secure technology to connect activists with others in their ...

Environmental activism | Environment | The Guardian

Great Podcast on Positive vs. Negative Climate Activism

‎Heard Tell: Why Public Disruptions Hurt Climate Activism, Posetive vs Negative Environmentalism w/ Ethan Brown on Apple Podcasts‎Show Heard Tell, Ep Why Public Disruptions Hurt Climate Activism, Posetive vs Negative Environmentalism w/ Ethan Brown - Feb 2, 2023

Climate Scientist Peter Kalmus’ Viral Protest Was Just the Beginning—Here’s What’s Next (and How to Get Involved)

Social Media Activism in 2023: How to Go Beyond the HashtagIf you plan to use your social channels as a platform for advocacy and activism, follow these tips to show up authentically and make a real difference.

Why Public Disruptions Hurt Climate Activism, Posetive vs Negative Environmentalism w/ Ethan BrownListen to this episode from Heard Tell on Spotify. On this Heard Tell Good Talks our guest is host of The Sweaty Penguine and Heard Tell regular Ethan Brown to explain why those viral vids of Extinction Rebellion and other protests groups have turned people against both them and their cause to the point even the extremists are starting to pull back on public spectacles, why hassling the regular folks is always going to backfire, and far better ways to discuss climate and environmental issues without the extremism.--------------------Questions, comments, concerns, ideas, or epistles? Email us HeardTellShow@gmail.comPlease make sure to subscribe to @Heard Tell , like the program, comment with your thoughts, and share with others.Support Heard Tell here: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/4b87f374-cace-44ea-960c-30f9bf37bcff/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/heard-tell/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"Counterproductive", "hurting the cause": does activism always work?

How to Citizen Podcast One of Apple's favorite podcasts of 2023 Listen to the How to Citizen Podcast where Baratunde Thurston reimagines the word “citizen” as a verb and reminds us how to wield our collective power. Learn new perspectives and practices from people working to improve society for the many. Join writer, activist, and comedian Baratunde on a journey beyond politics as usual that will leave us all more hopeful, connected, and moved to act.

The Protest Backlash: The Criminalization of Peaceful Protest

How criminalisation is being used to silence climate activists across the worldGuardian investigation finds growing number of countries passing anti-protest laws as part of playbook of tactics to intimidate people peacefully raising the alarm

Militarized approach to policing peaceful protests ...Peaceful protests,” Voule said. He called on States to ensure people are not persecuted, unlawfully arrested, criminalized, tortured, and killed.

Crackdowns on peaceful environmental protests should stop and give way to more social dialogue

A Close Look At The Wave of Anti-Protest LawsRead about large trends, expert analysis, and major legal challenges related to efforts to restrict the right to assemble.

Here’s a question Cop28 won’t address: why are billionaires blocking action to save the planet? | George MonbiotIt’s obscene that the super-rich can criminalise protest, while they burn the world’s resources and remain untouched by the law, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Meet the Shadowy Global Network Vilifying Climate ProtestersFor decades, the Atlas Network has used its reach and influence to spread conservative philosophy—and criminalize climate protest.

Take Back the Streets: Repression and Criminalization of Protest Around the World

Case law on peaceful protests

Global Freedom of Expression |

Jun 22, 2023 — held that the provisions' criminalization was broader than this and so criminalized protected ex- pression. The Court declared the provisions invalid and ...

Anti-protest laws stifle free expression and threaten democracyActivists worry legislation targeting climate and anti-racist protesters will have a “chilling” effect on people and organizations

US Protest Law Tracker - ICNLThe US Protest Law Tracker, part of ICNL’s US Program, follows initiatives at the state and federal level since November 2016 that restrict the right to protest. Click this link to see the full Tracker.

In a world built by plutocrats, the powerful are protected while vengeful laws silence their critics | George MonbiotIn the UK and around the world, those who challenge rich corporations are being hounded and crushed with ever-more inventive penalties, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

2023 was the year governments looked at the climate crisis – and decided to persecute the activists | Owen JonesAround the world, the people fighting for the survival of our planet are being shamefully silenced and villified, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones

What is the Most Effective Emotion in Dealing with Our Environmental Woes?

Angry about the climate crisis? Research shows that could be a good thing.When fence-sitters hear that a majority are upset, they’re more inclined to jump over.

Anger is most powerful emotion by far for spurring climate action, study findsLink to climate activism is seven times stronger for anger than it is for hope, say Norwegian researchers

Moving From Eco-Anxiety to Eco-Anger Can Help Us Confront Climate ChangeEco-anger may motivate people towards collective action on climate change, while eco-depression and eco-anxiety erode our wellbeing.

The Utility of White-Hot RageLiving in the era of climate change might make us feel guilt, or grief, or anger. How do those who think about these problems every day keep going?

Frustration turns to anger - Climate WeeklySign up to get our weekly newsletter straight to your inbox, plus breaking news, investigations and extra bulletins from key events

Does the Climate Crisis Inspire Anger?“Minimum Viable Planet” is a weeklyish commentary about climateish stuff, and how to keep it together in a world gone mad. This week, we contemplate anger, heart, and action.