The 2010-19 decade offered unprecedented visibility through civic and political protests. Protests — both violent and peaceful — have a rich past, with varied degrees of success in accomplishing what they originally set out to do.
Mounting anger and frustration over rising economic and social inequality, political corruption and disillusionment with democratically elected and authoritarian governments have led to a wide array of mass protests in recent months.
The following are significant political protests which brought governments to its knees:
2003: Iraq's Anti-war Protests
On February 15, 2003, anti-war protests were coordinated across the world in more than 600 cities, opposing the imminent Iraq War. An estimated 3 million people marched through Rome, Italy in the largest anti-war rally in history. In London, a million people assembled, the largest-ever political demonstration in UK history.
2004: The Orange Revolution
Hundreds of thousands of people fl ooded Kiev’s main square to protest the results of the Ukrainian presidential election in late 2004. Demonstrations continued for 12 days until a revote was called, reversing the results.
2010: Telangana Maha Garjana
The demand for a separate Telangana hit a turning point on December 16, when around 12-15 lakh attended the “Telangana Maha Garjana”, at Warangal in Andhra Pradesh. The rally set off a chain of events that culminated in the Union Government agreeing to carve a seprate Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.
2019 Hong Kong protests
The 2019 Hong Kong protests are an ongoing series of demonstrations in Hong Kong triggered by the introduction of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill by the Hong Kong government. If enacted, the bill would have allowed the extradition of criminal fugitives who are wanted in territories with which Hong Kong does not currently have extradition agreements, including Taiwan and mainland China. This led to concerns that the bill would subject Hong Kong residents and visitors to the jurisdiction and legal system of mainland China, thereby undermining the region's autonomy and Hong Kong people's civil liberties.
Citizenship Amendment Act protests 2019
The Citizenship Amendment Act protests, also known as the CAA and NRC protests, are a series of ongoing protests in India, against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which was enacted into law on 12 December 2019, and against the nationwide roll out of National Register of Citizens (NRC). The protests began in Assam, Delhi, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Tripura on 4 December 2019. The protests have spread across India, though the concerns of the protesters vary.
