Why do people protest?

WE watch social media videos of people protesting the genocide in Gaza by marching in big cities, gathering in universities demanding cease fire, or boycotting products that support the occupation.

We also watch videos of people spilling milk in supermarkets because they are vegetarians standing for the rights of cows not to be milked, while others would spray paint on historical landmarks in protest for the lack of climate change policies.

Thanks to modern technology social media has become a powerful tool for protesting by posting videos to expose a certain behaviour to millions of viewers around the globe hoping someone would bring up change.

Perhaps the most famous activist is the 22-year-old Swedish woman Greta Thunberg who dedicated her life to human-cause of climate change. Regardless of the cause or the behaviour, people protest to express their content with a certain behaviour or policy.

I have always been interested in what motivates people to protest.

According to social and psychological studies, people’s motivation to protest depends on the movement, the specific protest event, and the larger political context behind it.

A research study asked protesters “Why are you participating in this protest? The answers showed that people participate because they want to, because they can, and because they are being asked.

Overall motives vary from wanting a particularly valuable policy change such as ending wars or social injustice to having a nice day out with friends. The act of protest can be gratifying on its own as you feel that you are doing something.

Another possible explanation is that protesting gives people the opportunity to express their opinions, anger, or dissatisfaction. For example, people protesting against a war may want to show that they are angry and disagree with the war even if they know that their protest will not stop the war. There is also the fact that people tend to protest with those who share their interests, feelings, and values.

Protesters can be motivated by personal or collective reasons. It is more common to see people protesting to improve their own lives, asking for better jobs and salaries, better schools for their kids, and others acting on behalf of minority ethnic groups such as the “black lives matter” and the “Me too” movement.

Most protests are peaceful but sometimes they turn violent causing damage and destruction of public properties. This can be due to several reasons such as provocation by the authorities by using use of tear gas, rubber bullets, or physical force. The presence of counter-protesters with opposing views, or the presence of groups with a different agenda to infiltrate peaceful protests to incite violence or create chaos.

Protests without clear leadership or communication channels can lead to confusion, unintended violence, and the presence of mob mentality, where individuals act in ways they wouldn't normally do alone. Therefore, authorities must understand crowd behaviour when responding to a protest.