Putting Protests to the Test

Protests. What are they really good for? What are the outcomes from a protest? Does everybody who participate in the protest really genuinely feel for the topic or are they in it because its fun, fashionable and for the novelty.

People around the world often gather in large numbers and take it to the streets to protest. They protest against war, government policies, human rights violations and climate change. Most recently the youth protest in Athens escalated from a protest to a full blown riot against the Greek police, for the accidental killing of a young teenage boy. Autopsy later revealed that the boy was killed by a ricochet bullet. Nonetheless, the riots also became an outlet of anger against the Greek government’s policies which had resulted in low employment rates and widening the divide between the rich and poor.

Across the continent in China, dozens of people protested in Beijing yesterday, 60th Anniversary of the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They claim the Chinese government has allegedly taken away their homes and for those who were sent to labor camps, were beaten badly. There were petitioners present who made the trip from their hometown, away from the local government, to the central government to seek justice. This could be seen as an age old practice dated to the days of the imperial China where the common folk could petition the Emperor.

On the 15th February 2003 in Canada, a 40,000 strong protest took to the streets of Vancouver in an effort to protest against the United States invasion of Iraq. On that single day, a total of 6 million people around the world took part in a cohesive effort to show their deep resentment for the invasion of Iraq. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, that was the largest turnout of protesters in history. The United States with its allies, invaded Iraq on 20th March 2003.

I do not seek to put down the efforts and thoughts behind protesting as I do personally feel that protests can be really effective. However, what should we really aim to do when we protest? Some protests can be large in numbers. Some protests can have positive effects. Some protests are purely disruptive. I take reference to the protest at Stansted Airport on the 8th December 2008 by Plane Stupid. As much as it seemed extremely disruptive and overbearingly annoying to have your plane delayed and be stuck at an airport, the result of their protest was in essence a temporary pause in our CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The figures are as follows: (taken from www.planestupid.com)

10:20am update: The Press Association reports that 57 people have been arrested, and 56 Ryanair flights cancelled. That’s one flight per protester, meaning each personally stopped 41.58 tonnes of greenhouse gas equivalent.

8:10am update: At least 39 people have been arrested and the runway re-opened. BAA are claiming that 21 flights have been cancelled. Every minute the airport emits around 4 tonnes of CO2.

6:00am update: BAA have confirmed that the first flights out of the airport have been delayed. The average flight out of Stansted has a climate impact equivalent to 41.58 tonnes of CO2.

Bearing that in mind, would you be willing to be stuck at an airport for many hours? As much as it was for the “greater good”, how many of us would really want this to happen to us?

Maybe we should take a look at WHY people protest. Afterall, you risk getting arrested and into legal trouble by protesting. People protest because of ONE simple reason – their voices are ignored by the powers that be. People do sign petitions, fill up forms, wear badges, try to contact their local government offices and do attempt to get their voices heard. In a democratic society, arent our leaders supposed to listen to us? Otherwise what seperates us from having a dictator?

In COP14, I have personally witnessed two sides of the coin. The story from the people who organize protests in desperation and the leaders who appear nonchalant and calm. I do see the difficulty in being the minority and without proper political power, all you can do is protest. It beats suffering in silence. As a consolation, you get the media attention you require to amplify your voice and concerns and might still win. The ones who are on the receiving end of the protests would rather the protestors NOT merely point out mistakes and blames but to offer solutions and aid. Ironically, it is their job to do so. But if we simply criticise without providing constructive feedback, our efforts would be be ultimately futile.