3 Major Protests Started in 2019 that Go On To This Day

Source: https://s.france24.com/

While there are some exceptions – like the climate rallies inspired by Greta Thunberg last year – most protests are against something. That “something” can be a variety of things, ranging from poverty and inequality to an authoritarian leader or a government policy. Last year, we’ve seen a surge in protests all over the world with crowds heading to the streets to demand change, and some of them had the desired result, too: Ricardo Roselló resigned from his position as the governor of Puerto Rico as a result of “Telegramgate“, Evo Morales is no longer the president of Bolivia after a major election scandal (and the subsequent protests), and the list could go on.

These protests have reached their goals – there are, in turn, many others that have not, so they continue to this day.

The “Yellow Vests” in France

The “yellow vests movement” is one of the longest ongoing movement in Europe. It began in France in November 2018, when its supporters took it to the streets to protest against the rising fuel costs – and cost of living – in the country. The initial protest was followed by several more, often ending in violent clashes between the protesters and the authorities. The series of protests didn’t stop last year. The latest “act” was an anti-Macron protest in Paris this January that ended with the use of tear gas and several arrests.

The Hong Kong protests

A bill that would have allowed the extradition of fugitives from Hong Kong to mainland China proposed last February was the direct cause of the massive protests that began in March. The peaceful sit-in on March 15 quickly escalated into massive marches with hundreds of thousands – or millions, depending on the source – of people, and the violent attempts of the authorities to disperse the crowds. Images and stories from the protests have dominated the media for months, showing how brutal the Hong Kong police were: tear gas, rubber bullets, and the alleged use of undercover police officers to commit acts of vandalism and arson, not to mention their interference with the freedom of the press, and the total lack of accountability.

The demonstrations are ongoing to this day.

The Catalan independence protests

There are many areas that belong to a certain country but feel that they would do better on their own. Among them, the Spanish region Catalonia has a long-established independence movement that can be traced back to the mid-19th century. Catalonia enjoys a special status in Spain – it has its own government, its own constitution, and president – and it seems to seek even more, a complete separation from Spain and the formation of a new Republic. To this end, two referendums took place in the region over the last few years – a non-binding one in 2014, which led to a full-blown independence referendum in 2017.

The Spanish government, in turn, didn’t recognize its legitimacy, taking it as an act of treason. Despite all the Spanish authorities’ attempts to block it, the referendum took place with the majority of votes cast in favour of the region’s independence, leading to the declaration of the independence of the Republic of Catalonia. As a response, Spain ended the region’s autonomy and imposed direct rule over it, plus it brought several Independence leaders to justice.

In October 2019, nine of the leaders of Catalonia’s independence movement were sentenced to years in prison. The protests began mere hours after the verdict was pronounced by the Spanish Supreme Court, quickly devolving into violent clashes between the protesters and the authorities. The protests continues to this day – the latest emerged days ago, when the Spanish government stripped Quim Torra, the head of the Catalan government, of his voting rights.

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