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A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, in order to hear speakers. It is different from mass meeting.
Demonstrations may include actions such as blockades and Sit-in. They can be either nonviolent or violent, with participants often referring to violent demonstrations as "militant." Depending on the circumstances, a demonstration may begin as nonviolent and escalate to violence. Law enforcement, such as riot police, may become involved in these situations. Protest policing is ideally to protect the participants and their right to assemble. However, officers don't always fulfill this responsibility and it's well-documented that many cases of protest intervention result in power abuse. It may be to prevent clashes between rival groups, or to prevent a demonstration from spreading and turning into a riot. It is still crucial to understand your rights as a protester, especially when police actions violate the law.
Demonstrations can promote a viewpoint (either positive or negative) regarding a public issue, especially relating to a perceived grievance or social injustice. A demonstration is usually considered more successful if more people participate. Research shows that anti-government demonstrations occur more frequently in affluent countries than in poor ones.
Widely recognized political demonstrations include the Boston Tea Party, March on Washington, and the recent George Floyd protests. However, political demonstrations have been occurring for many centuries before these famous ones.
Demonstrations are sometimes spontaneous gatherings, but are also utilized as a tactical choice by movements. They often form part of a larger campaign of nonviolent resistance, often also called civil resistance. Demonstrations are generally staged in public, but private demonstrations are certainly possible, especially if the demonstrators wish to influence the opinions of a small or very specific group of people. Demonstrations are usually physical gatherings, but virtual or online demonstrations are certainly possible.
Topics of demonstrations often deal with politics, economics, and society issues. Particularly with controversial issues, sometimes groups of people opposed to the aims of a demonstration may themselves launch a counter-demonstration with the aim of opposing the demonstrators and presenting their view. Clashes between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators may turn violent.
Government-organized demonstrations are demonstrations which are organized by a government. The Islamic Republic of Iran, Analysis: Iran Sends Terror-Group Supporters To Arafat's Funeral Procession "...state-organized rallies..." "Why Washington and Tehran are headed for a showdown" The Hedge Fund Journal 16 April 2006. the People's Republic of China, Global News, No. GL99-072 China News Digest, 3 June 1989. Republic of Cuba, Cubans ponder life without Fidel The Washington Times 2 August 2006. the Soviet Union "Democracy in the Former Soviet Union: 1991–2004" Power and Interest News Report 28 December 2004 and Argentina, among other nations, have had government-organized demonstrations.
Locations are also frequently chosen because of some relevance to the issue at hand. For example, if a demonstration is targeted at issues relating to foreign nation, the demonstration may take place at a location associated with that nation, such as an embassy of the nation in question.
While fixed demonstrations may take place in pedestrian zones, larger marches usually take place on roads. It may happen with or without an official authorization.
Some demonstrations and protests can turn, at least partially, into or mob violence against objects such as and , bystanders and the police. Police and military authorities often use non-lethal force or less-lethal weapons, such as Electroshock gun, Rubber bullet, pepper spray, and tear gas against demonstrators in these situations. Sometimes violent situations are caused by the preemptive or offensive use of these weapons which can provoke, destabilize, or escalate a conflict.
The protests following the murder of George Floyd are well-known examples of political demonstrations addressing racial injustice and police brutality. These demonstrations, which spread across the United States and around the world, brought attention to systemic issues within law enforcement and the broader society. This movement highlighted the importance of political demonstrations in driving social change and influencing public policy, but also showed how protests can turn violent through police intervention.
As a known tool to prevent the infiltration by agents provocateurs,Stratfor (2004) Radical, Anarchist Groups Pose Their Own Threat, , published by Stratfor, June 4, 2004 quote: Another common tactic is to infiltrate legitimate demonstrations in the attempt to stir widespread violence and rioting, seen most recently in a spring anti-Iraq war gathering in Vancouver, Canada. This has become so commonplace that sources within activist organizations have told STRATFOR they police their own demonstrations to prevent infiltration by fringe groups.
the organizers of large or controversial assemblies may deploy and coordinate demonstration marshals, also called stewards.Belyaeva et al. (2007) Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, , published by OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Alternative version , Sections § 7–8, 156–162Bryan, Dominic The Anthropology of Ritual: Monitoring and Stewarding Demonstrations in Northern Ireland, , Anthropology in Action, Volume 13, Numbers 1–2, January 2006, pp.22–31(10)
Citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to gather peacefully, without weapons, and to hold meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and pickets.
Demonstrations and protests are further regulated by the Federal Law of the Russian Federation No.54-FZ " On Meetings, Rallies, Demonstrations, Marches and Pickets". If the assembly in public is expected to involve more than one participant, its organisers are obliged to notify executive or local self-government authorities of the upcoming event few days in advance in writing. However, legislation does not foresee an authorisation procedure, hence the authorities have no right to prohibit an assembly or change its place unless it threatens the security of participants or is planned to take place near hazardous facilities, important railways, , pipelines, high voltage electric power lines, , , presidential residences or in the border control zone. The right to gather can also be restricted in close proximity of cultural and historical monuments.
Human rights groups fear the powers could hinder peaceful protest. Nick Clegg, the then Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "I am not aware of vast troops of trespassers wanting to invade MI5 or MI6, still less running the gauntlet of security checks in Whitehall and Westminster to make a point. It's a sledgehammer to crack a nut." Liberty, the civil liberties pressure group, said the measure was "excessive".Brown, Colin, " No-go Britain: Royal Family and ministers protected from protesters by new laws ", The Independent, 4 June 2007. Retrieved on 23 June 2007.
One of the biggest demonstration in the UK was the people vote march, on 19 October 2019, with around 1 million demonstrators related to the Brexit.
In 2021, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled that blocking roads can be a lawful way to demonstrate.
A growing trend in the United States has been the implementation of "free speech zones", or fenced-in areas which are often far-removed from the event which is being protested; critics of free-speech zones argue that they go against the First Amendment of the United States Constitution by their very nature, and that they lessen the impact the demonstration might otherwise have had. In many areas it is required to get permission from the government to hold a demonstration.Kellie Pantekoek, Esq. (12 October 2023). 'Protest Laws by State'. FindLaw.
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