By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer
Gwangju, Tiananmen, Sidi Bouzid, Yangon, Bangkok, and Kyiv — these are just some places that have exemplified the efforts of ordinary people in their fight against authoritarian governments. In protests like these, citizens face off squarely against armed and equipped security forces; often we see bloodshed and casualties, and sometimes, we see change. But is the pursuit of the light at the end of the tunnel inherently violent and bloody? Absolutely no. For every large-scale protest, there are thousands of instances of non-violent expression of dissent, ranging from boycotts to sit-ins, from social media posts to music and arts. Examples of these non-violent (even non-physical) forms of protest are closer to you than you think.
Why do people protest? Protesting, at its core, is a way to challenge the current way things are done, and to advocate for change. However, that’s not their only purpose. Protests have also been used to spread shared ideals between groups of people, and inspire hearts and minds. Here, I agree with Amnesty International’s definition, which implies the aim of protests is for people “to keep hoping for a better future.” But, as much as protests are a collective strive towards something better, they are not everyone’s cup of tea. Some fear the risks involved with protests — prosecution, injuries, trauma, and death. These are risks the protests above have personified throughout the pages of history books. For others, protests are just “uncomfortable,” stemming from social anxiety and the fact protests usually involve something deviant from the normal routine. The contrast is only made stark by nonparticipants and the collective mentality of protesters. But, protests don’t have to put you in bodily harm nor force you into a space you are uncomfortable with. As someone who came from a country with quite a lot of protests, here is my selection of protest tactics that might appeal to the “risk-averse but still wants to play a part” side of you.
Boycotts
Boycotts are the personal refusal to associate with certain people, things, or businesses as a protest against the views they represent. You can see boycotts today when some people avoid Disney+ over the company’s links to Israel or when some Canadians call for boycotts of US products because of Trump’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric and threats of tariffs against Canada. Boycotts are one of the easiest ways to participate in protests. Not only are you safe from physical harm, but you don’t even have to step outside of your home — all while hitting capitalism where it hurts most by denying companies potential revenue and setting an example for others.
Strikes
Any student of SFU who has been here for the past couple of years is most likely familiar with strikes. Strikes are more physical than boycotts and there are two sides to a strike — participants and supporters. As a participant, you will most likely refuse to work for an organization that goes against your views to shut down its ability to produce anything and force it to come to negotiations. In some cases, your might set up picket lines outside of your workplaces to spread the word to your co-workers. More often than not, like many SFU students did during the recent TSSU and fossil fuel divestment strikes, you will find yourself as a supporter. In this case, don’t cross picket lines, go cheer (or honk) to support the people striking. If you can, donate to their cause and spread awareness about the protest — it’s as easy as that.
Sitting-in
Sit-ins originated out of the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. Similar to strikes, sit-ins are the occupation — literally sit-in — of space for some time to get your points across to a wide audience. They are simple, you sit in a place without having to march or face off riot control. While sit-ins are non-violent by nature, as the recent crackdowns on pro-Palestinian encampments in both Canada and the US have shown, authorities (usually the government) may respond with violence and oppression. For this reason, they carry a slightly higher risk than boycotts and strikes.
Protests do not always have to be violent or even physical.
The three forms of protest I have listed so far are non-violent but they sure are physical, in that you need someone being physically involved in the acts of protest for some time. Protesting doesn’t always have to be that way.
Arts
The closure of SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement last month provoked a fierce artistic reaction from the university’s School of Contemporary Arts (SCA). The SCA’s teach-in — a form of protest in itself — looks at the role of arts as a form of protest through films, documentaries, and artwork. Art can serve as a form of protest in symbolic ways, instilling ideas for protest in the audiences as well as directly representing opposition to oppression. Art transcends life, making protests through it a worthwhile effort that will continue to inspire future generations.
Social media
Social media is more of a channel for protests than a form of protest itself. As a gathering place of like-minded people, social media is a great non-physical space for rallying around common goals. It also has the potential to spread protests far and wide, with some protests like the Black Lives Matter movement gathering national and global steam because of social media. This is more important in places where physical protests are crushed violently and freedom of speech is limited. But, the one downside of social media is the “echo chamber” effect — be careful not to get stuck in your bubble of like-minded activists too much.
Language
From #MeToo to “Take a Knee,” the language of protests can have a massive impact on how a protest topic is spread. Apart from these slogans, even the everyday usage of “us” versus “them” language strikes protestors apart from nonparticipants and the opposition, with important implications for spreading awareness and involvement. Another example is the fire preparedness townhall organized by SFU350 in response to community concerns over the Trans Mountain Expansion, happening on March 17 at the SUB Ballroom from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saying the right thing, using the right slogans, and spreading awareness on issues through everyday conversations or organized events is sometimes enough as a form of protest.
Protests do not always have to be violent or even physical. Through these forms of protest, we can all participate in striving towards a better future — sometimes without even having to get out of the house or break a sweat.
