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Currently, protests are happening in places like Hong Kong, Cairo, Paris, and Moscow, to name a few.
Despite each demonstration stemming from vastly different issues, many have common threads: citizens want to express their discontent with their current governments, from the "yellow vest" protests in Paris to Indonesian protests against a draconian criminal code.
From the Civil Rights Movement's the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to Indian independence, protests have left powerful marks upon the world. Historically, protests have served as an outlet for marginalized groups to articulate their frustrations - and make their demands known. One such example is New York's Stonewall riots, which kicked off the modern Pride movement and mainstream LGBTQ visibility.
While protests have changed significantly with the rise of technology and social media, they're still powerful agents for change.
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In an interview with WNYC's On The Media, technological sociologist Zeynep Tufekci said that modern protest has the "capacity for changing the narrative."
"The thing is, though in the past, you can think of the protest as an exclamation mark at the end of a long sentence, whereas right now it's just the first word in a potential sentence," Tufekci told WNYC.
In Hong Kong, a new extradition law sparked protests back in June, but the conflict is escalating.
Tens of thousands of protesters have been demonstrating in the streets of Hong Kong since June, against a new law that would extradite people accused of crimes to China to stand trial.
Protesters have thrown petrol bombs, rocks, and acid at police, who in turn have sprayed tear gas. The protests reached a new level of violence on Tuesday when one protester was shot in the chest by police, the first use of live rounds during the conflict. The protester, an 18-year-old man, is thought to be in critical condition.
Tuesday also marked the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, which protesters commemorated by wearing all black, calling it a "national day of mourning."
A criminal code in Indonesia has led to protests against its draconian laws.
Last week, thousands of protesters in Jakarta clashed with police after a new criminal code was announced. The code would outlaw sex outside of marriage and set a jail sentence of six months for unmarried couples living together, among other laws.
Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannons at the protesters, most of whom were students. As a result of the protests, the Indonesian parliament has delayed a vote on approving the code.
The protests are the largest since 1998, which led to the toppling of Indonesian president Suharto.
3In the Netherlands, thousands of Dutch farmers clogged highways with their tractors.
They came to protest claims from members of Dutch parliament that agriculture was responsible for high emissions, and that some cattle farms should be shut down. The farmers, in turn, said that the aviation industry was responsible for high emissions, but wasn't getting the same share of blame.
Several protests are ongoing in France, including demonstrations by Paris police officers.
In addition to Dutch farmers, French farmers are also angry with their country's agricultural policy. Farmers are planning to demonstrate on October 8 with roadblocks on major French highways, according to Reuters.
Farmers are just one of several groups protesting the French government's policies. After 45 consecutive weeks of protests by the "yellow vest" (gilets jaunes) demonstrators, the protests show no signs of slowing down. During the Global Climate Strike last month, which drew tens of thousands of demonstrators in Paris, "yellow vest" protesters, and their anarchist counterparts, the "black bloc" protesters, turned violent, and were met with around 7,500 police to control them.
The protests, which were sparked by rising fuel taxes, have since spread to smaller cities, like the southwestern city of Toulouse.
Meanwhile, thousands of Paris police officers are holding demonstrations of their own, in the wake of the rising suicide rate among French officers, which many attribute to the strain of containing the "yellow vest" protests for weeks on end. In 2018, 35 officers committed suicide in France. In 2019 so far, that number grew to 49.
In Russia, thousands gathered to demand the release of protesters who were arrested on charges of rioting.
In Moscow on Sunday, protesters gathered to call for the end of prosecutions against those who were arrested during last summer's mass protests. Russian police estimated the number of demonstrators to be 20,000, but organizers claim the number is much higher.
The summer's protests drew even larger crowds, with an estimated 60,000 protesting Russian President Vladimir Putin's policies. The crowds were the largest since Putin's reelection in 2012.
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny spoke to the crowd on Sunday, saying that those who were arrested on charges of violence against police officers and rioting will be released in the wake of the new demonstration.
Peruvians protested the confusion surrounding President Vizcarra’s government in the streets of Lima.
Peru's president, Martin Vizcarra, dissolved the country's congress on Monday after months of efforts to eliminate corruption proved fruitless due to right-wing lawmakers stonewalling new policies. In response, the lawmakers attempted to have Vizcarra removed, naming Vice President Mercedes Araoz to take over as president. It's unclear whether Vizcarra will remain in office, and the uncertainty has led to mass protests.
On Tuesday, Peruvians took to the streets of Lima to protest the crumbling government, meeting Lima's police force, which expressed loyalty to Vizcarra.
Protesters in Haiti called for the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse.
An already tumultuous Haiti erupted into more violent protests on September 25, Azam Ahmed reported for The New York Times. Protesters had called for the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse. They took to the streets again after he gave a 2 am speech calling for unity and saying he would not step down.
Moïse has not been seen publicly since. The country is contending with food, oil, and power shortages.
The current round of protests originated in July 2018, according to the Times, when Moïse attempted to end fuel subsidies. He has since been dogged by corruption allegations over management of a Venezuelan oil subsidy program.
Moïse, according to the Times, has unsuccessfully attempted to appoint a new prime minister several times, with opposition leaders blocking all of his picks since the allegations broke. His most recent attempt — and fourth nominee since 2017 — was last Monday.
Egypt saw another wave of protests calling for the resignation of authoritarian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
A second wave of protests calling for authoritarian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to step down broke out last Friday, The New York Times reported. Protests first began on September 20, defying the country's ban on demonstrations. According to the Times, one cited cause for protest has been economic grievances, with a third of Egyptians living in poverty.
During el-Sisi's tenure as president, the Egyptian government has jailed opposition figures, and blocked independent media. The Times reported that over 2,000 protesting Egyptians have been arrested by authorities. Some news services and websites have also been blocked, with Twitter cutting in and out.
Lebanon is experiencing protests due to its slowing economy.
According to the Associated Press, the exchange rate for Lebanese pounds to dollars has been stable since 1997 — but last week, people had difficulty getting currency at this rate. The country is contending with a hard currency shortage.
Protesters pointed to political leaders as the cause of economic problems. Reuters reported that hundreds of protesters chanted "Down with capitalism" and "Leave!" as they marched near parliament.
Lebanon has one of the highest debt ratios in the world, and, despite heavy investment, a myriad of infrastructure issues, according to the Associated Press.
Syria's Kurdish population is protesting their exclusion from a UN committee.
Members of Syria's Kurdish population protested their exclusion from a United Nations committee meant to redraft the Syrian constitution, French news channel France24 reported.
According to the United Nations, the committee — announced on September 23 — will be comprised of 150 members, divided evenly between government, civil society, and opposition members.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the committee "a step along the difficult path out of this conflict."
While individual Kurd representatives will be on the committee, the Kurdish administration overseeing almost one-third of the country will not be presented, according to France24.
The US has supported Kurds in fighting against the Islamic State, Karen DeYoung, Souad Mekhennet, and Louisa Loveluck reported in The Washington Post. However, The Post reports that Turkey considers the Kurdish fighters a "terrorist threat."
Protests erupted in Iraq against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's government.
Protests that broke out on October 1 in Iraq have already left two dead, according to The New York Times.
The protests signal the most recent discontent with Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's year-old government. The Times reported that protesters were displeased with the government's inability to improve public services and unemployment, as well as with Abdul Mahdi's recent removal of popular counterterrorism chief Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi.
Mustafa Salim and Louisa Loveluck at The Washington Post reported that police first fired tear gas, and then live ammunition, into crowds of protesters in Baghdad. In addition to the two deaths, 286 people were injured nationwide, according to the Post; 40 were on the security force.
In Jerusalem, Palestinians protested the hospitalization of a Palestinian detainee accused of killing an Israeli teenager.
On October 1, Palestinians protested in Jerusalem and the West Bank over the hospitalization of a Palestinian detainee accused of killing an Israeli teenager, Ali Sawafta reported for Reuters.
Samer al-Arbid was hospitalized during his interrogation by Israeli forces. al-Arbid was arrested and detained for being a suspect in the bombing near an Israeli settlement that killed a 17-year-old Israeli hiking with her family, according to Reuters.
Shin Bet, Israel's security service, said that al-Arbid felt ill during their interrogation, while Palestinian officials — and al-Arbid's lawyer — accused them of torturing him, Reuters reported.
Simultaneously, Arab-Israeli students in the north walked out of school to protest violence against Arab communities, The Times of Israel reported. More than 60 members of the Arab community have been killed in 2019, with four killed on September 20, according to The Times of Israel.
UAW workers have been on strike for two weeks in the United States.
General Motors members of the United Auto Workers have been on strike for over two weeks — marking the longest labor action of its type since 1982, Business Insider reported.
On October 1, the union rejected a GM proposal that would end the walkout of almost 50,000 workers. However, the union did progress by offering up a counterproposal, according to Business Insider.
"We continue to negotiate and exchange proposals, and remain committed to reaching an agreement that builds a stronger future for our employees and our company," a GM spokesperson told Business Insider.
