The most effective protests are not always the ones that garner immediate attention. Though public rallies may not seem like the most effective way to bring about change, these peaceful demonstrations still contribute to social progress. Protesting is an essential element of our First Amendment right as American citizens, and since protests are so pervasive, it is important to execute them safely.
Protests occur frequently on college campuses, but recently they’ve focused on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. In particular, the Gaza solidarity encampments across the United States, which began after the first of its kind was erected at Columbia University, have reached new levels of media attention. Here at the University of Michigan, an encampment on the Diag organized by the TAHRIR Coalition began in late April and continued until police cleared it on May 21. It was a peaceful expression of dissatisfaction with the University’s response to and investment in the Israel-Hamas war.
In light of recent protests, it is crucial to understand the difference between civil disobedience and violence to gain an understanding of the impacts both have on institutions and individuals. When individuals are passionate about controversial issues, they must aim to productively enact change in ways that do not put others at risk.
Violent protest typically involves the use of physical force to cause harm. Protests over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza have led President Joe Biden to conduct a press conference condemning — what he calls — violent protest, including acts of vandalism and property damage.
Aside from the use of physical force, targeted language and verbal threats can also cause harm and exacerbate the mistreatment of marginalized groups. Violent rhetoric increases the risk of aggression, like when politicians verbally attack their targets. As their messages gain traction, audiences grow more likely to act unpredictably. Violent rhetoric affects protests similarly.
Civil disobedience, on the other hand, centers around the peaceful refusal to abide by certain policies that infringe upon people’s rights. While civil disobedience is still complex because of its illegality, Martin Luther King Jr., one of its most famous advocates, argued that it is an important principle which does not promote harming individuals or property, but the careful disregard of an unjust law.
As groups from marginalized communities seek to call attention to injustice and the number of protests continue to rise, the line between peace and violence seems blurry. Democratic nations were built on the premise that citizens should use their voices to disagree and make change. Two passionate people may challenge one another, and democracy empowers them to do so. Passion and anger, however, can cloud judgment.
Acting with brutality, which stems from anger, turns potential allies away from your cause. A statistical analysis of protest movements from 1900 to 2006 revealed that civility is the most effective way to attract supporters and respect. Because nonviolent forms of protest typically clash less with people’s morals and do not present many opportunities for physical harm, they attract numerous supporters who favor peaceful resistance. This is why it is necessary to uphold peaceful protests even amid global tensions.
Some argue that violent protest is sometimes necessary and that, while nonviolence brings awareness to an issue, violence instills urgency into institutional responses. Although it is disheartening when audiences intentionally plug their ears to drown out the voices of the unheard, violence should not be an option — not even as a hopeful last resort, though it is often treated as one. The media attention violent protesters receive distracts from the injustice they seek to call attention to, as audience focus is directed to the commotion rather than the issue at hand.
The principle of nonviolence does not only apply to protesters but also those who respond to them. Recently, counter-protesters at UCLA attacked pro-Palestine protesters with physical force and makeshift weapons instead of expressing disagreement in a peaceful manner. Universities across the country face unrest as individuals respond to each other with brutality, leading to intervention by police officers and resulting arrests.
Additionally, many instances of violence at the protests have been linked to police involvement. At the University of Arizona, law enforcement used pepper balls and rubber bullets in an attempt to scatter protesters. While the university claimed they only did so in response to the protesters’ and counter-protesters’ physical resistance, these extreme measures should not have been initiated. Officers at UCLA issued similar tactics, where they hit protesters with projectiles. Though projectiles are considered less lethal than other measures, their usage still caused damage and contributed to a cycle of violence.
Here at the University of Michigan, police forcibly cleared the Gaza Solidarity Encampment with usage of pepper spray and tear gas. This is a pattern that has been seen at many of the encampments, and this use of force should not be the first step officials take to disperse protesters. If students are expected to remain civil, law enforcement must take precautions to do the same.
Each participant in a protest has the potential to cause dangerous outcomes. At UCLA, the counter-protesters overtly attacked protesters, while the pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia took over Hamilton Hall — breaking windows and setting up barricades, causing workers inside the building to fear being trapped and in harm’s way. At the University of Michigan, videos of the encampment clearing show police using harmful substances and some protesters throwing objects at the officers. Though the scale of violence varies, many of the situations that involved force from protesters or police could, and should, have been avoided. Safety would be best protected if protesters, counter-protesters and police resorted to fewer potentially harmful physical expressions.
Both sides of any issue have the right to express their belief regarding a perceived harm to a community; however, the problem arises when either of the groups become violent in their responses. While the counter-protesters at UCLA were violent themselves, the protesters at Columbia initiated actions that could lead to violence. Both violence itself and actions that result in violence are a danger to safety, which is why participants in protests should do their best to remain peaceful.
Though we live in a world where violence occurs, we should not combat atrocities with our own atrocious actions. Instead, we need to promote peaceful expressions of dissatisfaction with institutions. If simple conversation does not seem like enough, another solution is to implement de-escalation tactics by appointing designated peacekeepers to intervene if protests seem to reach a boiling point.
As the future of how protesters will make their voices heard at the University remains up in the air, students must remember to pursue peaceful routes to change and prevent outbreaks of violence. In the same fashion, law enforcement and university officials should respond with less forceful measures when enforcing safety directives. Because research shows that civil protests are generally most effective, participants and observers should prioritize them to create change.
Protests are an important aspect of democratic systems. When people gather together to speak out against injustice and contribute to progress, they successfully exercise democratic principles like the freedoms of speech and expression. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared that, “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Using our voices, and not our fists or our weapons, to enact change remains crucial to safely draw attention to the injustices that plague our world and ensure people are heard.
Giselle Sesi is an Opinion Columnist who writes about the overlap between politics and the human condition. She can be reached at gigisesi@umich.edu.
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