Global Protests and Social Movements

Extract

[...] Similarly, these movements are, for the most part, the theater of diverse and sometimes contradictory demands, the lack of unity of which only makes it difficult for traditional political camps to capitalize on them. On the other hand, the political dimension of these movements is another component that seems to link them all. From these economic demands, political demands have quickly arisen, driven by a strong distrust of the political personnel but also by democratic systems considered obsolete. On this point, the Hong Kong protests, although responding to a geopolitical logic, demonstrate the same distrust and desire to put pressure on a political personnel considered corrupt. [...]

[...] First of all, it seems important to note that these protests can be considered, for their social component and concerning essentially economic demands, as a logical and expected backlash from the large phase of budgetary austerity caused by the economic and financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. The blow dealt by these crises on the public finances of countries has thus considerably pushed governments to reduce social benefits on the one hand, but also to lower wages in a logic of competitiveness. The failure of this generalized strategy is today materialized by the protests on the theme of purchasing power. [...]

[...] I am also divided on the issue of violence in these protests. On the one hand, they often seem futile and detrimental to the image of these social movements, but on the other hand, they generate a level of risk for the leaders, the only factor that can lead them to listen, partially, to the demands. It seems that resolving them will therefore pass notably by the success of several objectives and notably: - The isolation and neutralization of the radical elements of these manifestations allowing for the necessary appeasement to formalize clear and possible demands. [...]

[...] It is difficult to say how long these protests can last, as social movements are by their very nature, cyclical and tend to resurface in the long run if the deep demands are not met. However, it is possible to note that their 'institutionalization' and especially their recovery by trade unions are often a first sign of their decline. Thus, it is possible to consider that these protests are the extension of the renewed desire of the people to take back control of their destiny in an economic environment that has excessively restricted the political field. [...]