In protest mode – Newspaper

IN an election year, some signs of a democratic revival were inevitable. These are reflected in election results in India, Mexico and South Africa, where leaders are held accountable at the ballot box. You can almost hear those who believe in due process breathe a collective sigh of relief after years of authoritarian creep. But what impact will these democratic upheavals have on public protest, and why does it matter?

In the past few months alone, Pakistan has seen protests against inflation, food prices, border policies that hinder local trade, energy prices, alleged poll rigging, censorship, disappearances, and so on. We are not the only ones. We are indeed living in a new era of protest.

A 2021 report on global protests from the think tank Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the Initiative for Policy Dialogue found that the number of protests worldwide had tripled between 2006 and 2020. The survey found that 54 percent of recorded protests were provoked in response to “perceived failures of political systems or representation,” while 28% made demands for “real democracy.”

2022 saw even more protests – 11,000 in 145 countries – largely against the high cost of living. In 2023, protests broke out in 83 countries, over escalating issues as broad as the Israeli-Palestinian war, the cost of living crisis, climate justice, attacks on democracy, women’s rights, and government service delivery.

Will there be a convergence of demands?

The intersectionality of protests is also increasing. Take, for example, the global protests against Israel’s atrocities in Gaza. Climate activists joined the pro-Palestinian protest movement early on, arguing that climate justice must be underpinned by basic human rights and security and freedom from occupation.

Climate activists have pointed to the war’s immense climate toll: greenhouse gas emissions from war activities, plus significant emissions expected from future reconstruction activities. They have also accused Israel of committing ecocide, for example by destroying olive trees that have been on the land for centuries. Given the West’s current focus on tackling climate change, the neglect of these issues in Palestine is highlighted as further evidence of double standards, an argument that resonates with the core message of the pro-Palestinian protests.

In fact, the two movements have found that many financial institutions or companies that finance or facilitate the fossil fuel sector are the same ones that facilitate Israel’s defense sector or Israeli companies that operate in or benefit from inhabited areas. By joining forces, the groups have managed to share their tactics and intensify pressure on economic institutions.

Likewise, global women’s rights and feminist movements have joined pro-Palestinian protesters, given the disproportionate impact of the conflict on women and children, who account for at least half of the lives lost in Gaza since October. In addition to the death toll, women have also been victims of sexual violence, inadequate health care, miscarriages and lack of nutrition. An alliance with Gazan women becomes a feminist imperative.

Will this epic election year reduce or intensify some of this protest activity? Will there be a merger of requirements or further diversification? The growing intersectionality of protests has been a fascinating development, forcing disparate groups to engage with each other and find common ground, a refreshing development in polarized times.

But in the context of vibrant democracies, multi-faceted protests are less effective in holding democratic governments to account or achieving policy change. As I recently wrote regarding pro-Palestinian protests on American campuses, the most effective protests are those with local, relevant, and tailored demands.

The activist community must consider how the gradually changing political landscape will impact protest movements, as the ultimate goal must be to keep the spirit of protest and responsibility alive. And while we live in an age of protest, we also live in an age of crackdowns, and the threat of authoritarianism and censorship remains high, even in “democratic” contexts.

For lasting, positive change, protest activity is essential. As political scientist Erica Chenoweth has noted, civil disobedience is the most effective way to change political trajectories, with protests twice as likely to achieve their goals than violent means or any form of conflict. Chenoweth also found that about 3.5 percent of the population actively participates in protests to bring about meaningful political change. In all scenarios, this means remaining willing to take to the streets (literally or figuratively) and remaining open, once we get there, to talking to each other rather than over each other.

The writer is a political and integrity risk analyst.

X: @humayusuf

Published in Dawn, June 10, 2024