During the last months, the world has witnessed big waves of protests in many countries, such as Nepal, United States, Ecuador and Brazil. The reasons are diverse, but they all have something in common: in each case, people took to the streets to show dissatisfaction towards political decisions – from abusive laws to authoritarian acts.
Get to know more about current cases
In Nepal, young people were furious with the political and economic situation: Nepal is on the UN’s list of the 44 least developed countries, but a minority lives with luxury. Sons of politicians were spotted having high standard lives, displaying expensive restaurants, elegant cars, trips to Europe, and luxury shopping, while the rest of the population faced stagnant salaries and poverty; this made internet users expose how unfair this is, and wonder where this money came from.
The fuse happened when the government blocked social medias like Instagram and Tik Tok, claiming a “fake news scandal”, and that “big techs weren’t cooperating”. That’s the moment in which Nepalese Gen Z realized that they were being silenced by the politicians, so they took to the streets, resulting in arson of public buildings and the resignation of the prime minister, Khadga Prasad Oli.
In USA, a big part of the population is extremely dissatisfied with Donald Trump’s authoritarian and self-centered attitudes, like the rigid anti-immigrant politics and the intense presence of the National Guard on public places. The streets of New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and even European capitals are full of citizens marching to be listened to by the world.
Ecuador’s protests are also connected to their president, Daniel Noboa. Besides state violence, the government announced the end of diesel prices subsidy, causing an increase. In response to this measure, the Indigenous Nationalities Confederation of Ecuador (Conaie) called a strike and street protests. Some highways are still blocked by protestants, and things might not change until Noboa listens to Ecuadorians.
Lastly, the Brazilian Congress was trying to approve several proposed constitutional amendments, including one that would grant amnesty to those involved in an attempted coup d’état, among them former president Jair Bolsonaro, another that would shield parliamentarians from criminal investigations, and one that exempts the income tax for a part of the population that earns less than R$5000 (approximately US$925). On September 21st, the main streets and avenues of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and other cities were full of Brazilian citizens protesting against the proposals to grant amnesty and shield parliamentarians, and in favor of the one exempting part of the population from income tax. Three days later, due to popular pressure, the “shielding proposal” was shelved in the Senate, while the tax exemption one was approved by the deputies.
How is it like to take to the streets?
To answer this question, we interviewed Filippo Raffaele, also known as Pippo, a 29-year-old student and freelance cinematographer who lives in São Paulo, a big city with many political movements. Pippo has been attending protests since he was 17, and it all began in 2013, when a wave of marches around the city to complain about the increase in bus ticket prices started a strong opposition against the so-called left-wing government of that time.
In this context, he became curious about the protests. “I remember I had a band with some school friends, and on our way back from a party, we stumbled upon a violent clash in the streets because of the rise in bus fares. “I got intrigued”, he recalls. The next day, he decided to attend a protest himself, saying “I’ll go just to see what happens.” But he was immediately confronted by the police and assaulted, an experience that left a strong impression on him.
Even though his first experience was traumatic, Pippo analyzed its effects and got angry at what he saw: “The prices didn’t decrease, and this fear I had became some kind of rage. And I understood that this rage, when it is individual, makes us sick, you know? It makes us tough, harsh, embittered people. But when the rage is collective, it can change our reality to something better,” he affirms. And this basically synthesizes his motivation to protest in favor of what he believes.
The student also reflects on the unique feeling of being among so many people on these occasions:
When I’m protesting, I look at a random person in the crowd, and I can see myself in them. It’s a specific moment in which very different people kind of become one being.”
Even though participants bring diverse agendas, the shared focus of the movement creates a sense of unity that makes the crowd stronger and louder.
The role of the internet
It is impossible to talk about these movements without mentioning the presence of social media. The internet as a resource for mobilizing people is a relatively recent phenomenon, but it is loud enough to take some space among the ways of protesting. In Nepal, for example, social medias were crucial for the population to get informed about the political injustices, and to spread the agenda.
Nowadays, hashtags are widely used to raise awareness and mobilize people; #NoKings (USA), #SemAnistia (“no amnesty” – Brazil) and #FreePalestine (multiple countries) are some examples. When you click on them on Instagram or Twitter/X, you can see many people from different parts of the world claiming their rights and exposing things they disagree with.
Pippo sees social media and street marches as distinct but equally important arenas for political action. “Political work on social media is one thing, taking to the streets is another, and these attitudes complement each other. You can use the internet to spread information and mobilize people, and street marches are not the only way to create change. The internet has its role as a resource, but we can’t pretend it’s a neutral space. Politics leaves no empty spaces, so we should also use the internet actively as a resource”.
A way to make change
Even if street protests are loud and clear, they won’t always have immediate results. If they are too peaceful, they may not be heard; but if they are too violent, the response of the government and cops might be even more violent. But, depending on the situation, this reaction can mobilize more people to join the cause.
Filippo remembers something similar happening in 2013. One day, during a march, cops assaulted some journalists from Folha de São Paulo, a Brazilian vehicle that had been against the protests until that moment; three days later, marches were even more crowded with people who were angry at the state violence. “So, I think that most of the time, when these movements are repressed, people may get quiet at first, but it is like trying to put out fire with gasoline.”
That is why it is essential to gather a large number of different people – from young students to laborers – because the pressure is certainly more effective. There is no change if it is only a few people’s agenda.
The force of protests is based on the unity and the diversity of those who take part in them,” Pippo concludes.
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The article above was edited by Julia Galoro.
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