Why Do We Need The Art of Protest?
‘Sorry for the inconvenience, we are trying to change the world.’
The newly proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is harmful for so many reasons. Along with criminalising the travelling community, who are already grossly mistreated by the government and police, it also could be used to expand stop and search powers, and slaps a ten-year sentence on damage to memorials.
This is also a bill which curbs our right to protest, our right to advocate for our equality and make our voices heard, loud and clear. The bill will allow police chiefs the ability to impose start and finish times on our protests, set noise limits, and prevent any protests which cause ‘public nuisances’. The police do not need more power – this new bill is a direct assault on our freedoms.
Throughout history, the art of protest has been, to put it simply, revolutionary. It is easy to forget that the majority of our basic human rights are ones that were fought for using brave, direct action. For so many of us, rights to vote, marry and live freely were not simply handed to us, and it is important that we remember this when viewing negative media coverage of protestors, who are presented as disruptive and ungrateful.
It is easy for the media to brand protestors negatively, but remember that this can be unreliable, and present a distorted view of real-life events. The privileged in society do not want to hear our causes, or inspire any real change. Protest goes against the grain, challenges perceptions, and offers new solutions. As the saying goes, ‘sorry for the inconvenience, we are trying to change the world’.
Last summer, peaceful Black Lives Matter protests took place around the UK, inspired by the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in the US. They were a bold and clear stance against the prevalent institutional racism on all levels in the UK. Extinction Rebellion protests have been essential in raising awareness of the escalating climate crisis around the world, which many in power are happy to ignore for the sake of profit. And recently, the protest form has been used to display anger at the treatment of women by police who attended a vigil for Sarah Everard in March.
Protest is incredibly powerful, a physical display of incredible social movements in the UK. The sense of community generated by gathering to make our voices heard is unparalleled, and one which must not be criminalised. It is a case of ‘disappointed, but not surprised’ that the Tory government has put these proposals forward – they don’t exactly have a sparkling record for protecting the minorities whose rights the bill is trying to curb.
It’s clear that, for our government, a silent population is easier to control than one who directly advocates for their rights. However, disruption is sometimes necessary in the fight to an equal society, and this is what protest can help us to move closer to.
Protest is creative, expressive and a way to show solidarity. You should be allowed to voice your struggles, and your hopes for the future. Don’t let anyone take this from you.
by Millicent Stott
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