Waves of global protests in 1969 marked a turning point in the civil rights movement; in 1989, the color revolutions fought for democracy, in 2011 the Arab Spring protests sought freedom, and now, in 2019, people are taking to the streets en masse and pushing for more. They want more democracy, better leaders, and less corruption. Some say that these protests are a result of a slowdown of the world economy, which is at its most sluggish since the global financial crisis. But there has also been a consistent outcry for awareness of and action on climate change.
Although not all of the protests have had monumental results, it will be interesting to see what 2020 will bring. This will be a moment that history will look back on.
In no particular order, here is a list of of protests in European countries that may influence governments in years to come:
Czech Republic
In June, the Czech Republic saw some of its largest protests since the Velvet Revolution in 1989. They were demonstrating against their Prime Minister Andrej Babis on accusations of corruption. In November, demonstrations that marked the anniversary of the revolution were even larger.
Slovakia
In a continuation of protests from last year after a journalist and his fiance were murdered, demonstrations were organized in September and October as new revelations came out about potential corruption in the judicial system.
Albania
In February, Albanians accused Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government of having ties to organized crime, and they took to the streets to demand his resignation. In May, the protesters threw petrol bombs at the Prime Minister’s office. Last month, the protests caused Albanian president Ilir Meta to cancel municipal elections in Tirana.
Scotland
Set in motion by the United Kingdom’s possibility of Brexit, thousands have marched for Scotland’s independence.
United Kingdom
Britain has seen some of its largest demonstrations in its history with protests for and against Brexit. A demonstration in London in October with a crowd estimated at one million participants demanded a new referendum on Brexit — a vote which will now be happening later this week.
Spain (Catalonia)
This October over 300,000 people protested over the imprisonment of separatist leaders. What started out as a peaceful protest to underscore the Catalonian independence movement turned violent after attacks on riot police, and at least six people had to be taken to a hospital. The crisis continues to be sparked by the Spanish government’s unwillingness to grant separatists in Catalonia an independence referendum. Roadblocks, street protests, public transit disruptions, clashes between demonstrators and the police and acts of vandalism continued throughout the rest of the year.
Romania
Protests in Romania began in 2017, after the judiciary legalized low-level corruption, and intensified after the head of Romania’s anti-corruption agency was fired in June of 2018. This past October, the government was toppled in a no-confidence vote. Centrist president Klaus Iohannis was re-elected two weeks ago, and the country appears to be moving in a pro-European direction.
France
The Yellow Vest labor protests from last year have continued on, although smaller in size. But recent nationwide strikes against the French government’s plan to overhaul the pension system have given new breath to the social movements. Protests have shut down many of Paris’s metro and train stations.
Russia
Russia experienced mass protests this summer tied to city council elections, and more than 1,000 people were arrested. The criminal investigations opened up against the protestors were countered with another wave of protests.
Serbia
The county’s anti-government protests celebrated their one-year anniversary last week against autocratic president Aleksandar Vucic.
Georgia
In June, a series of protests started after wide-spread opposition to Communist Party member Sergei Gavrilov’s actions. The protestors demanded the resignation of government officials and an electoral reform. As of November, the government has still not followed up on its promise of an electoral reform that would shift the country from a single-mandate constituency to one based on proportional representation.
Montenegro
Thousands marched in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica in March to demand the resignation of President Milo Djukanovic over accusations of abuse of office.
Ukraine
Protests in Kiev intensified in October after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a peace plan meant to start discussions with Russia over the war in eastern Ukraine. Protesters chanted, “No capitulation,” among other things, over concerns that Zelensky would surrender to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands. In December, as Zelenskiy met with Putin in Paris, thousands marched in Kiev to emphasize their concerns of ceding too much to Russia.
This article by Bloomberg gives a more comprehensive list of demonstrations across the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia and Oceania.
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