{"id":49031,"title":"PROTEST IS POWER: And They Know It","description":"PROTEST IS POWER - AND THEY KNOW IT. That\u2019s why they\u2019re trying to take it from us.","content":"

That\u2019s why they\u2019re trying to take it from us.<\/h2>

In the UK, the right to protest has never been handed down politely from above. It\u2019s been dragged<\/em> out of power through courage, resistance and solidarity. Time and again, protest has forced governments to back down, change course or even collapse.<\/p>

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We\u2019ve Done This Before - And We\u2019ve Won<\/h3>

The Chartists<\/strong> in the 1830s and 40s were ridiculed, surveilled and even imprisoned for demanding the vote for working-class men. But their movement was relentless. What seemed radical then - like secret ballots and MPs paid a wage - became the foundation of our democracy. Without them, the franchise wouldn\u2019t have expanded and Parliament would still be a playground for the privileged.<\/p>

The Suffragettes and Suffragists<\/strong> fought for women's right to vote. Through protest marches, hunger strikes and civil disobedience, they disrupted business as usual - because business as usual ignored them. They were mocked, arrested, brutalised - and they changed history<\/em>.<\/p>

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The Anti-Poll Tax Movement<\/strong> in the 1980s brought millions together in defiance of an unjust, flat-rate tax that punished those who couldn\u2019t afford it. It started with mass non-payment and ended with riots in Trafalgar Square. Over 17 million people refused to comply. The government backed down. Margaret Thatcher resigned. It worked. <\/em>The People\u2019s History Museum in Manchester are currently running an exhibition celebrating 35 years of this landmark moment in modern history<\/a>; check it out and be inspired.<\/p>

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More recently<\/strong>, protests have halted fracking operations, pushed climate breakdown to the top of the news agenda, won pardons for wrongly convicted subpostmasters and forced the government to reconsider policies on refugee detention, LGBTQ+ rights, and public health.<\/p>

Protest works<\/em>.<\/p>

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So Why Are They Trying to Silence It Now?<\/h2>

We are watching our right to protest be dismantled in real time. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act<\/strong> criminalises being \"too noisy\" or \"annoying\" at a protest. The Public Order Act 2023<\/strong> introduces offences for peaceful tactics like \u201clocking on\u201d or slow marching - methods used by everyone from Extinction Rebellion to disability rights campaigners.<\/p>

This isn\u2019t about protecting the public. It\u2019s about protecting power from the public.<\/p>

Now, police can impose conditions on where, when and how<\/em> you protest. You can be arrested for holding a placard, for chanting too loudly, for simply showing up<\/em>.<\/p>

The message is clear: shut up. Go home. Let us run the country without interference.<\/p>

We say: no chance<\/strong>.<\/p>

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Different Tactics. Same Power.<\/h2>

Not all protest looks the same, and that\u2019s its strength.<\/p>

There are marches and strikes, occupations and blockades. But there\u2019s also satire, art, humour, and performance. The Clandestine Rebel Clown Protest group is the kind of joyful troublemaking force that slips through the cracks of authority with a painted grin and a perfectly timed honk. Operating gin secrecy but recognised instantly by their bright costumes and sharper wit, they use absurdity as a political tool, disrupting the pomp and bluster of power with laughter that cuts deeper than any slogan. Their actions are part theatre, part resistance - a reminder that protest doesn\u2019t have to mirror the aggression it stands against. Instead, they turn public spaces into stages, challenge fear with play and prove that sometimes the most radical thing you can do is refuse to be serious in the face of those who would prefer you to be silent.<\/p>

\"6f37ktcpbu1ugddjbzuogivpoxkn6il10o0nlzqlyy7ssrxx.jpeg.jpeg?w=1140&v=2\"Disruption doesn\u2019t always have to be angry, it just has to be effective. Protest means using whatever tools we have to refuse injustice.<\/p>

And We\u2019re Going to Need Every Tool We\u2019ve Got<\/h2>

With the rise of political actors like Reform UK<\/strong>, who peddle xenophobia, misinformation and division, protest becomes even more vital. Electoral politics might not stop them. But the streets can. Mass mobilisations make it impossible to pretend that their agenda is widely supported. It\u2019s not.<\/p>

We protest to show that there is no silent majority behind hate. There is a loud, defiant majority who will not stand by.<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p>

They Want Us Silent Because They\u2019re Afraid of What We Can Do Together<\/h2>

Governments fear protest because they know its history. They know it topples leaders. They know it wins rights. They know it shifts public opinion and inspires action. That\u2019s why they\u2019re trying to criminalise it.<\/p>

So this is a call - not just to protect the right to protest, but to use it<\/em>.<\/p>

Loudly. Creatively. Together.<\/strong>
Protest in the streets. Protest with art. Protest at work. Protest online. Protest in clown shoes if you have to, but don\u2019t stop.<\/p>

When they tell you protest doesn\u2019t work, it\u2019s because they\u2019re scared it will.
When they tell you you\u2019re being annoying, disruptive or ungrateful, it means they\u2019re listening.<\/p>

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*UPDATE*<\/strong><\/h3>

Protest Is a Right \u2014 Even When It's Inconvenient<\/h2>

The recent decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation<\/strong> is a chilling example of the government trying to silence our voices. This group has been non-violently<\/em> targeting the UK arms trade - specifically Elbit Systems, a supplier of weapons to Israel - using direct action to challenge complicity in war crimes. You don\u2019t have to agree with every tactic they use (none of which have been a threat to the public) to see what\u2019s happening here: this isn\u2019t about public safety, it\u2019s about silencing dissent.<\/p>

Calling a protest group \u2018terrorists\u2019 for disrupting business as usual is a dangerous escalation. It sends a clear message: if you threaten the profits of the powerful, the state will come for you<\/strong>. This move doesn\u2019t just criminalise Palestine Action \u2014 it sets a precedent that any effective resistance can be treated as extremism<\/strong>.<\/p>

Yesterday, a peaceful demonstration in Parliament Square resulted in multiple arrests<\/u><\/a> (one of them being an elderly priest) for the crime of holding a placard expressing support for Palestine Action. What makes this event even more frightening is that it\u2019s not being reported properly in what appeared to be reliable news publications. What should be front page news in The Observer was relegated to barely a mention in the bottom corner on page 9; it wasn\u2019t even given its own headline, attracting a handful of words in a tiny article about the proscription.<\/p>

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Protest is how people without power demand change. It\u2019s how we challenge injustice when the systems in place refuse to listen. And if that right can be revoked the moment it becomes inconvenient, then it\u2019s not a right at all.<\/p>

We should all be deeply worried about what this means - not just for those taking action on Palestine, but for the future of political expression in this country.<\/p>

Whether it\u2019s climate justice, racial justice, workers\u2019 rights or peace - the right to protest must be defended<\/strong>, not whittled away by governments afraid of accountability.<\/h2>

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