Face Of Protests Changing As Millennials Worldwide Use Smart Tactics To Break The Shackles

It is a turbulent phase for democracies all over the world as the struggles between the state -- of the people, for the people and by the people -- and the subject has come to the fore in many parts of the world. From Palestine to Moscow, from Hong Kong to Kashmir or from anti-White Supremacy in the US to anti-Brexit in the UK, hitherto unknown mechanisms are being applied by protesters to beat the curbs that the state applies in order to contain protests.

But while the state and the people both have their reasons for doing what they do, the state, because it is much more powerful than the people in terms of resources and technological boons it has at its disposal, tends to portray these protests as illegal, thereby allowing it to apply restrictions to end them.

What is a protest?

It is a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something and it unfolds in a myriad of ways. A protest is not anti-people, anti-establishment though it may be, because at the very heart of the action of standing up against something requires the coming together of a large section of people.

Now, whereas protests are not inherently anti-people, the manners in which they unfold often leads us into situations where huge gulfs are created between the proponents and opponents.

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Consider the curious case of Jammu and Kashmir in India, which was only last month bifurcated into two separate union territories by Indian parliament, for instance: Those protesting against the unprecedented moves by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the centre hold it responsible for acting against the will of the Kashmiri people and for subverting their democratic and fundamental human rights whereas the supporters of the scrapping of Article 370 that had so far granted a special status to Jammu and Kashmir believe that the new legislations and restrictions will, in the longer run, unify the nation, stop the influx of terrorism and contribute in the overall development of all sections of the Kashmiri people.

There is a historical background too, as the community of Kashmiri Pandits, who left the Kashmir valley in the 1990s, are presumably being understood to find themselves the much delayed justice that they have been long fighting and yearning for. Irrespective of whether that happens or not, there is an idea that the proponents and opponents see merit or demerit in.

Why protests are healthy for a democracy?

In the struggle between the state and the people, the state always wants you to believe that the people are wrong and the state is right. From the fights for tribal rights and against crony capitalism to issues of individual freedom and sovereignty, the state generally tends to override the opinions of the people while fostering its own development agenda.

Once again, both of them have reasons for what they do but whereas the state has all the power and resources to publicise and go ahead with what it seeks to do, what do the common citizens have with them to register their dissent?

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Protest fills this vacuum, granting voice to the voiceless and by becoming the most potent weapon that have historically been instrumental in bringing down the most powerful of empires. Mahatma Gandhi, who along with other freedom fighters, freed the country from the shackles of colonialism used protests as his most common means.

What were Non Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India Movements if not protests?

And why go back, though you must, so far in history when recent examples are as compulsive as they were. The anti-corruption, which later came to be known as India Against Corruption movement, along with the campaign to serve justice to Nirbhaya were instrumental in bringing down the then Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the centre.

It was a regime that had been in power for about ten years, and successive governments ruled by the Indian National Congress, which was the principal party in the UPA, had ruled the country for most of the years since the independence. But when people felt something was amiss, that the country was not going in the right direction, they came out in protest and brick by brick a movement was built that shattered the UPA¡¯s prospects in the 2014 general elections.

Why is the face of protest changing?

If you were to consider the Anna (Hazare) movement as the tipping point in the scale that a protest can swing into, it will not be difficult to assess the range of challenges it poses to the regime in power. In this case, it brought down the Manmohan Singh government, and did so with quite an impact.

So, just as one understands the size of these protests, one also needs to look at the implications they have on the regime in power -- protests shatter the reputation of any ruling government, and more often than not, they do not like it.

This is perhaps why regimes around the world are becoming more stricter, coercive and vigilant in dealing with protests and what better way to understand it than what¡¯s been raging in Hong Kong for well over two months now.

Pro-democracy protesters react after police fired tear gas outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong on September 15, 2019. AFP PHOTO

The Chinese have simply gone all out to do everything that they can possibly do in today¡¯s times to contain it. Apart from brutal suppression by the police and the army, they have also applied surveillance on a wide scale to identify those involved in protests. Tear gas shells, water cannons and the unrestricted use of force are among the most prominent tools of the Chinese in Hong Kong at the face of what is being reported widely. But there are graver tactics at play as drones and thermal sensors are set up at numerous locations to identify and trace the movement of people so that they can be restricted.

Even as the vast majority of what is happening in the Kashmir valley remains unknown as the region continues to be under an unprecedented lockdown, there are some clear signs for the layman to understand why the face of protest is changing.

For starters, suspension of internet may not seem something new in the context of Kashmir but such a prolonged suspension of not only the internet but also of telephone and, reportedly post offices, are aimed at, more than anything else, containing the reaction to what is happening.

These have come along with reports of arbitrary use of police and military force. India has, however, denied all such allegations by civil rights groups and activists, and has maintained that the Indian army is abiding by its discipline while Kashmir is in the process of returning to normalcy.

So, one thing that becomes clear here is, the extent to which the state is willing to go to suppress the voices of those it wants to stop from protesting.

How is the face of protest changing?

The youth have always been at the forefront of major uprisings against powerful regimes. It was so in the JP movement when the leaders of today, then in the prime of their youth, spiraled it through the length and breadth of the country by using poetry, drama and other creative message to spread awareness about the authoritative behaviour of the Indira Gandhi-led government during the emergency. Even in the Anna movement, it was the students of schools and colleges who, arguably, led the movement and stirred the emotions of hundreds of thousands of Indians to come out and protest against the apathy of the state.

Against this backdrop of historical relevance that the young population plays in fuelling any protest comes the increasing tendency of the state to apply unimaginable force to suppress these protests and which is why a need arises to develop new mechanisms to tackle the curbs put forth by the state.

Protesters walk amid tear gas during a demonstration in Hong Kong, June 12, 2019. REUTERS PHOTO

It is in this scenario that the millennials¡¯ participation in protests have changed the very dynamics of how they used to be just a few years ago. The state is accustomed to a certain manner in which protests were carried out and because it is using increasing force to curb them, the protestors feel the need to improvise their strategies in order to have their say. The millennials, because they are tech savvy and much more aware of technological and scientific abilities than their predecessors, help break the ice.

Let us turn back to Hong Kong to understand this: The scenes of protest in Hong Kong over the last few months can appear chaotic, filled with throngs of activists and waving umbrellas. But in the undulating waves of people, found news agency Reuters, is a well-developed system for moving supplies, providing aid and constructing barricades--all driven by hand signals.

As it emerges, there are frontlines where the real battle between the protesters and police personnel are fought. But not too far from the clashes, there are others who work to get any equipment needed to those on the frontlines facing off against the police. Human chains were observed at many of the marches. Some formed and dispersed quickly, but others were in place for some time, with protesters swapping positions as needed.

Reuters Graphic

Then there were umbrellas, which were opened and turned against the police or military on the frontlines. As the police snatched these umbrellas, dozens were passed on from behind to help them move forward.

If umbrellas were not enough, helmets arrived for safety in leading the protest marches. The masks followed the moment facial recognition systems were put up, and later crippled down by the protesters. From finding new and clever means to deal with tear gas shells and rubber bullets to confusing the police by their gesture-based communication techniques, the protests in Hong Kong showed the world just how difficult it may be for any regime to withhold the voice of the people despite all the resources it may have at its disposal. Protesters also used whatever materials they could lay hands on to create makeshift roadblocks and barricades.

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In India, while clarity has still not been achieved about how things are shaping up in the Kashmir valley, some reports have also pointed to the use of pen drives as a means to overcome internet blockade by local Kashmiri journalists. It has been pointed out by Newslaundry that ¡°stories are being collected, furiously typed, transferred to pen drives and transported to Delhi through generous travellers¡±.

Protests will continue, so will the brutality of some states. Youngsters on their part are expected to bring fresh ideas to make their voices heard.