Mass mobilization through organized protests is a method for dissatisfied citizens of a democracy to force those in power to acknowledge public criticism. Recent protests concerning ICE and the “No Kings” protests both reflect tumultuous times in America and display the key role that protesting plays in American politics and culture.
To better evaluate and understand American protest culture, it is helpful to dissect the root purposes and compare it to protesting in other countries, like France.
Anthony Solari, a political theorist and an assistant teaching professor in the School of Public and International Affairs, explained that American protests, as opposed to French protests, are more symbolic in nature.
“For Americans, the intention is to have a voice, express an opinion and try to influence policy,” Solari said. “French protests are much more designed as they’re considered an expression of popular sovereignty. It’s more than just speech for the French.”
France’s protest culture dates back to the French Revolution, a period that fundamentally altered France’s social and political landscape and rebuilt it on values of equality and liberty. Modern French protests work to carry on the revolution’s vigorous legacy.
“The French will tend to resort to protest a little more quickly than Americans. Americans kind of engage in it as a last resort,” Solari said.
America also has a long tradition of protest, including the Women’s Rights Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War protests and Black Lives Matter, some of the largest demonstrations in U.S. history. What distinguishes these movements as successful is a combination of their record-breaking participation and their longevity. Their effectiveness lies in persistence.
“The Civil Rights Movement drew together African Americans, white Americans and a lot of different people who felt that Jim Crow and discrimination was fundamentally un-American,” Solari said. “The scale of those movements was a big factor.”
Benjamin Le Calvez, a masters student in SKEMA Business School, explained that protesting is vital for French people to keep their governments in check. However, there are drawbacks to the violence that can result from them.
“We know that [protesting is] essential and keeps our country equal and good and tries to help everyone … But on the other hand, [protests] can get violent for nothing,” Le Calvez said. “The real protesters are leaving because it’s getting dangerous. And so only the violent people that are here to destroy things remain.”
Le Calvez further explained that French protests aren’t just political in nature. They are deeply ingrained into French society, which contributes to their effectiveness. They often involve mass participation all over the country with the intention to cause extreme disruption that policymakers cannot ignore.
“The goal is to freeze the country — to stop everything, from companies to trains to cars — in order to shine a light on [the issues] and say, ‘Guys, something is not working here,’” Le Calvez said.
Le Calvez also said that he feels that this national scale of disruption is rarely ever seen in American protests. This may be in part because American individualist culture often undermines the solidarity that is essential for protests to have impact.
”In France, all the people everywhere go into the street,” Le Calvez said. “I would conclude that if there is a demonstration in New York but not in other cities, that the other cities are not bothered with that subject and not concerned.”
This higher level of French solidarity, Solari explained, could be because the French are less apprehensive towards protesting than Americans due to the lesser threat of retaliation from law enforcement or employers.
“You’re not as insulated from the wrath of an employer in the United States as you might be in France. Your employer doesn’t like your political position. Your employer doesn’t like the fact that you were out there this weekend saying bad things about corporate America,” Solari said. “You get fired, and you’ll never know the real reason why.”
Though it occurs less frequently than in France, Americans still demonstrate a clear capacity for national collaboration as shown by the recent “No Kings” protests, which are among the largest single-day protests in American history.
Solari said we can only wait to see how much change these protests can incite. It will take time.
“It’s too early to say [they] haven’t been successful, but if you’re thinking that what we’re doing now is going to somehow immediately cause a change, I don’t think that,” said Solari.
Ultimately, solidarity and dedication remain the foundations of a successful protest, regardless of the nation. In an increasingly polarized world, the ability of citizens to mobilize collectively serves as both a tool for change and a reminder of the power that lies within collaboration.
