Even the COVID-19 pandemic was not enough to stifle the spirit of protest in the Filipnos. During the strictest period of the lockdown in April 2020, several dozen protesters gathered in Quezon City demanding food and cash aid from the government. 21 of them were arrested for rallying without a...

Another protest that came together somewhat organically and was facilitated by technology was the Million People March on August 26 of 2013. What started as a Facebook post turned into a rallying cry against corruption and culminated with 100,000 people in Manila and more in other cities. The call...

When Aquino assumed power, farmers were initially hopeful that their cause would finally be won but as time wore on and no progress was made, they grew discontent. On 15 January 1987, farmers from Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas camped outside of the Ministry of Agrarian Reform with three demands:...

In 1985, President Marcos Sr. was being pressured by the public and his US allies to declare a snap elections. A group of military officials had also organized a group a few years prior and just went public to call for reforms in the military. In secret, they were planning a coup for the end...

The Lapiang Malaya movement formed in the 1940s and was part political, part religious organization. In May 1967 their leader called on then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos to resign so a government formed of their movement could take over. More than 500 members gathered at their headquarters along...

One of the earliest recorded protests in the Philippines was a massive rally staged by the first workers’ union in the country, the Union Obrera Democratica de Filipinas, which called for an eight-hour workday and the recognition of May 1 as a public holiday. Over 100,000 people attended, and...

In Turkey, since May 1995, relatives of people who “disappeared” in police custody have been holding a weekly vigil in central Istanbul, demanding that the authorities account for the fate of their loved ones. They are known as the ‘Saturday Mothers’, since they gather every Saturday at...

In Iran, between 2017 and 2018, tens of thousands took to the streets to protest against poverty, corruption, repression and authoritarianism. Around 5,000 protesters were arbitrarily detained in a protest in January, and 25 were killed, and more than 100 were arrested in a protest in July/August...

In 2019, Chile saw mass protests to demand greater equality and human rights. The authorities responded with violent repression and criminalization, excessive use of force, and discriminatory and disproportionate use of pre-trial detention. A state of emergency was declared, and the army was...

Political activists Cecillia Chimbiri, Joanah Mamombe and Netsai Marova were arrested on 13 May 2020 at a police roadblock in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, for leading an anti-government protest over the authorities’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic and widespread hunger in the country. The three...