The World’s Mass Protests

There are more protests about living conditions, prosperity, and major social/political issues going on around the world than ever before.  Most of them go under-reported.  Below is a partial list of countries affected by mass protests right now.  This list  does not include the many climate change protests and demonstrations happening everywhere.

I found that most major news outlets are now ‘bundling’ news about national protests into a single article about regional protests like this one: https://www.trtworld.com/perspectives/in-pictures-protests-and-uprisings-across-the-world-this-weekend-30896

I also found that the violent protests make the news faster and more in depth than the peaceful ones no matter how ‘big’ they are.  There are interesting comparisons between these various protests, and the fact that they inspire other countries masses with similar social problems to publicly demonstrate also.  In several cases, national governments have fallen or had their leader replaced recently, but the protests don’t stop with that.  They seem to continue with a life of their own driven by social media.

Let’s discuss the implications. Here’s the (partial) list:

Lebanon: Severe economic deprivation in the northern city means locals have little reason to return to normal life.  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/thousands-continue-protest-lebanon-tripoli-191103192341649.html

Chile: The continuing unrest in Chile follows a week of riots, arson and protests over inequality that have resulted in at least 18 dead and 7,000 arrested.  https://globalnews.ca/news/6098861/chile-protests-reforms-police/

Iraq: In Baghdad, thousands of protesters have defied a curfew to demand jobs, better public services and an end to corruption.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50225055

Hong Kong: Once again, police battled protesters on the bustling streets of Hong Kong.  https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3036069/chaos-and-violence-descend-again-streets-hong-kong

Spain: Barcelona officials say there’s been nearly 600 people injured – and at least $3 million in city damage from the unrest.  https://america.cgtn.com/2019/10/25/are-catalonias-violent-protests-really-about-independence-from-spain

Venezuela: On Monday, the protests turned violent amid clashes with the police in the historic center of Quito.  https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/article235959002.html

Ecuador: The protests are the largest since 2015, when demonstrations against Mr. Correa included hundreds of strikes. About 12,000 police officers were summoned to Quito to protect the presidential palace.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/world/americas/hundreds-arrested-in-ecuador-unrest.html

Puerto-Rico: The summer uprising of 2019 in Puerto Rico was a repudiation of politics as usual.   https://nacla.org/news/2019/10/11/puerto-rico-political-future-protests

Haiti: Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been rocked by violent protests in the last month that have led schools, public offices and businesses to close and forced non-governmental organizations to suspend aid distribution.  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-haiti-protests-explainer/explainer-whats-behind-haitis-deadly-protests-and-possible-outcomes-idUSKBN1WQ22P