Do protests actually do anything? - eviltoast

Tons of protests going on everywhere against Israel, but not a single government has changed their stance

  • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    9 months ago

    Yes because:

    1. There is a visible action taking place. You are standing for something you believe in. This gives other people who may lack confidence or opportunity something to notice.

    2. Those in authority cannot claim what they do is an unopposed position.

    3. Those you are protesting on behalf of, even if they are going through hell, know that someone somewhere is not prepared to let their circumstances go unnoticed.

    4. Those you are protesting against know that someone sees what they are doing.

    • greentreerainfire@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      Maybe if the person who’s actions are being protested against are reasonable. When protesters are met by military forces and detained in trumped up charges of terrorism, then they don’t work until there looks to be consequences for the person/group being protested.

      As a rule of thumb if you have the military on your side protests get crushed. Look at Egypt for an example of what happens once the military gets involved.

      [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle\_of\_Blair\_Mountain](The Battle of Blair Mountain) is a good example on the US end. Striking US mine workers crushed by the US military on US soil. You could argue that it was one of many events that led to labor protections, but it wasn’t the inviting event and those protections came more than a decade later.