Top 10 21st Century Protests

Top 10 21st Century Protests

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Whether they were fighting the power, fighting for equality or fighting for the lives of others, these protests will stay in our memories forever. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the Top 10 21st Century Protests. For this list, we’ve focused on major protests or social movements that happened in or after the year 2000, and ranked them based on their importance and impact on society.

Coming about during the Hong Kong protests of 2014, this political movement uses an umbrella as a metaphor for their solidarity in fighting against Hong Kong’s government. At the time, the government had passed a decision to make major, pro-government changes to their election system. In response, crowds that would sometimes reach 100,000 at a time would protest in favor of democracy and use umbrellas to defend themselves against pepper spray, which by itself caused more people to get involved. The movement continued as of mid-2015.

They called themselves the 99 per cent, and they came out in full force to fight against the remaining percent in the equation. Beginning in September 2011 at New York’s Zuccotti Park in the city’s Wall Street district, OWS saw people come in droves to “occupy” the park as a form of protest against wealth gaps and lack of opportunity in the U.S. Some celebrities and musicians rallied in support of the movement, while protesters also “occupied” places like banks and foreclosed homes. It helped to ignite the worldwide Occupy Movement, which protested global inequality, and continues to this day as various groups around the planet work toward common goals.

With rape and domestic abuse having already been a big problem in the country beforehand, it was time for women in India to stand up against violence against women. With that, the Pink Sari movement began: a group of women called the Gulabi Gang banded together to raise sticks against violent men and wear pink saris as a metaphor for strength. The group has been active around North India since 2007, and continues to fight not only against oppression and abuse against women, but also against child marriage.

#7: LGBTQ Movement, Russia Circa 2006 -

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While the movement isn’t a 21st century invention, it really began to gain steam in the 2000s. Not exactly known for embracing the LGBTQ community – or as the republic under President Vladimir Putin puts it, “non-traditional sexual relationships” – mass protests were held in Russia ahead of 2014’s Sochi Olympics. This occurred after Putin passed a controversial law banning gay propaganda in 2013, which caused major uproar among the gay community in Russia and worldwide. Other examples of dissent against the Russian government’s decision-making around this time include Femen flashing Putin, as well as the fallout from Pussy Riot going to jail for “hooliganism”.

What started off as a small protest against the plans to bulldoze trees in Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park to create a shopping mall turned into something much bigger. These protests ended up being about freedom of the press and expression, the desire for fair elections, and against intrusion by the government on secularism in the country. Lasting almost three months during 2013, these demonstrations and periods of civil unrest were a response to brutal police treatment of a peaceful sit-in protesting the urban development plan. Up to 22 people were killed with thousands more injured, but the plans for the re-development of the park were thrown out.

#5: Ferguson Unrest, USA 2014 - 2015

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A major example of something that has unfortunately become a problem in the U.S. in recent years, on August 9th, 2014, an unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white policeman in Ferguson, Missouri. The next day, the first wave of both peaceful and violent protests in Ferguson began and lasted just over two weeks. In November of that same year, another wave of protesting began after the officer, Darren Wilson, was not indicted for his crimes. In connection to both waves of protests, 211 arrests were made and more than 15 people were injured. A third wave or protests and civil disorder began on the 1st anniversary of the shooting and lasted for approximately 2 days.

#4: Anti-Austerity Movement, Europe 2011 -

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After the beginning of Europe’s debt crisis – caused in large part by Greece – not to mention the worldwide recession starting in the late 2000s - the anti-austerity movement began across Europe. Following orders given by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for governments to reduce spending on social safety nets – as well as many other reasons – mass protests happened in affected countries like Spain, Ireland, and Portugal. In 2015, Greece would become the first country in the developed world to default on the IMF, with anti-austerity actions continuing on throughout the year.

While the 2013 Euromaidan protests were also a contender for this list, we’ve given the nod instead to this protest movement from the earlier part of this century. For two months in the Ukraine, people protested in large numbers against the controversial outcome of the country’s 2004 presidential election, which was shrouded by fraud, extreme corruption and rigging in favor of candidate Viktor Yanukovych. Following the protests, which included civil disobedience, sit-ins and strikes, the original election results were annulled and a second election was held, with his opponent Viktor Yushchenko winning.

Although the International Solidarity Movement was also in the running for this list, there was no way we couldn’t include the one that ultimately made the cut. These protests have run for almost a decade and a half, and they’re still going strong. Ever since they began a month after 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have caused protests in many different countries – particularly in the Western world. The wars themselves have caused the loss of over 31,000 lives and cost billions of dollars. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. - Education System / Student Protests, Various 2011 - - The Climate Change Movement 2000s - - 2015 Protests in Brazil 2015 - 2011 Malawi Protests 2011 - 2013-14 Thai Political Crisis 2013 - 2014 - Mexican Student Protests 2014

These protests didn’t end that long ago, but the effects they’ve had on the Arab world will be felt forever. Starting in 2010 in Tunisia, the demonstrations would spread to many other countries, and non-Arab country Iran would see major protests as well. Whether violent or non-violent, they had a huge impact on many Arab countries: leaders of nations like Egypt, Tunisia and Libya would be forced out of power, and many other countries would see their governments shaken profoundly by the movement. Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the most important protest of this century? With thought-provoking top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.