Civil resistance became the most prominent theme across countries globally as lockdown restrictions were being relaxed. However, protests held in countries like Israel even in the heat of lockdowns. More than ever, young people around the world are calling for an end to old and discriminatory systems, and the end of the one-man rule.
Here are some peculiar protests from 2020:
Hong Kong
An extradition bill proposed by the Hong Kong government in 2019 heralded rolling protests in Hong Kong from 2019 to 2020. The bill allows suspected criminals to be taken to mainland China for trial. From a sit out at the Central Government Complex, the protests in Hong Kong soon became a global spectacle with hundreds of thousands of protesters staging demonstrations across different parts of Hong Kong. After 13 consecutive weeks of protests, the bill was called off. However, this was just the beginning for pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong who are now calling for democratic reforms, the resignation of the Executive Leader Carrie Lam, as well as the repealing of a national security law considered as China’s biggest step in bringing Hong Kong under its control. China has not taken this resistance lightly as several pro-democracy activists have now been arrested and protests declared unlawful. Recently 10 Hong-Kongers were indicted for attempting to flee to Taiwan by boat. Many Hong-Kongers now seek asylum in UK.
Israel
In April, thousands of Israelis staged a protest in Tel Aviv, calling for prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to step down for corruption charges. Protest organizers marked 2,800 spots for protesters with each spot carefully marked 2 meters apart from the other, setting an example for demonstrating in a pandemic. The Israeli Government in response to rolling protests in the country instituted a new law that restricts citizens from holding protests more than 1km away from their homes. Despite this law protests against Mr. Netanyahu’s government and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic have persisted. In October, over 10,000 protesters gathered in Jerusalem, angry about the economic impact of the pandemic on their businesses and jobs as trust between Israelis and the current administration dissipates.
Black Lives Matter – United States Of America
The killing of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in the US pushed Americans to the streets to demand an end to police brutality and targeting of black people. Major protests erupted in May with thousands of protestersdemonstrating in every state in the US as well as in other locations globally. The movement started as a hashtag in 2013, following the death of Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager who was shot while walking to a family friend’s house.
#EndSARS – Nigeria
Just like #BlackLivesMatter, the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria started as a hashtag campaign in 2017. But the movement took an unexpected turn in 2020 after a video of SARS officers driving off with a man’s car after allegedly killing him, surfaced on the internet. Tens of thousands of Nigerians took to the streets for more than two weeks, calling for the disbandment of the SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) police unit -a unit now synonymous to extortion, harassment and extrajudicial killing of Nigerians. What started as a call to end police brutality in Nigeria soon became a demand for better governance, an end to corruption and the protection of Nigerian lives. In response to the protests, the Nigerian government set up panels of enquiry across many states in the country but has also continued to clamp down on prominent voices in the movement through arrests and punitive financial moves.
Belarus
In the lead up to the 2020 Presidential elections in Belarus, anti-Lukashenko protests emerged and intensified after he was declared winner of the elections on August 10. Protesters in Belarus have been met with violent resistance from government forces, with hundreds of arrests occurring but thousands continue to rally in demand for Mr. Lukashenko’s resignation. There is no end in sight for the demonstrations as protesters are inventing new ways to demonstrate – smaller protests scattered across dozens of locations around the capital. Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is the first and has been the only president of Belarus since office was established 26 years ago.
The Costs of Protesting
Several protests happened across many regions in the world with protesters rallying around several issues like good governance, an end to COVID-19 restrictions and better economic conditions. These protests, come at a cost for its organizers. As the civil resistance space widens, so are restrictions on protests and suppression of protesters in several countries across the world. On December 12, Ruhollah Zam, an Irani dissident who played a significant role in the protests against the Islamic Republic three years ago was executed after being charged with a series of crimes like “cooperation with the hostile state of the US”. In Hong Kong, pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to 13.5 years in prison. In Nigeria, dozens remain behind bars and bank accounts of individuals who supported the#EndSARS movement remain restricted.
