Protests All Around the World That Shaped 2020 And What They Have in Common

The rush of a crowd, the chaos, the violence, the truth bombs, the placards, the flags, and fire- within and without. The year continues to battle with a pandemic and with it came a no. of protests all around the world that changed the year 2020!

The year has witnessed calls against racism to a cry for crimes against women, and the seething demands of common people - protests have lined up like wildfire. In cities around the world, people are taking to the streets.

Here's a look at the varying levels of demonstrations from peaceful marches to violent clashes:

Chile

Soldiers and tanks have been deployed on the streets of Chile for the first time since 1990 when the country returned to democracy after years of military dictatorship.

A state of emergency was declared in the capital, Santiago, on Saturday after protests sparked by a now-suspended increase in metro train prices turned violent. The demonstrations have since widened out to include the cost of living and inequality.

At least five people died in protests over the weekend - after looters torched a garment factory and supermarket - with more disruption expected.

President Sebastián Piñera, a billionaire conservative, has described demonstrators who have caused fires, set up barricades, and looting as "criminals".

"We're at war against a powerful and implacable enemy who doesn't respect anything or anyone, and who's willing to use limitless violence and criminal acts," he said.

Lebanon

From South America to the Middle East, where protests about corruption and austerity in Lebanon are moving on.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been on the streets angry about proposed new taxes - including one on voice calls via WhatsApp and other messaging services that was quickly scrapped.

Power cuts and uncollected rubbish are also a source of anger for protesters.

The country's coalition government looks likely to approve some economic reforms, like scrapping taxes and halving salaries of top officials, to stop the protests.

Barcelona

The weekend started peacefully in Barcelona, with 500,000 people on five marches gathering together in the city center. But it later descended into violence with some protesters throwing objects at police who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons.

It follows prison sentences being handed to nine separatist politicians in Spain who want Catalonia - the Spanish region where Barcelona is to form an independent country.

By the seventh day of protests - demonstrators sat in front of the Spanish national police headquarters with their smartphone torches turned on.

Acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that those who caused disturbances would face justice.

Haiti

It's not gained as much attention as demonstrations in other countries recently, but Haiti has been going through weeks of protests - not for the first time this year - over an economic crisis unfolding on the Caribbean island.

Haitians are demanding the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse, who they blame for fuel shortages and worsening inflation - when the cost of living rises, leading to a decline in the value of money.

A prominent journalist who was covering the protests was found dead in his car with gunshot wounds a few weeks ago.

The president previously rejected calls for his resignation, saying he would not leave the country in the "hands of armed gangs and drug traffickers".

London

This one's not ongoing but up to one million people took to London's streets, according to organisers of the "People's Vote march", to demand a "final say" on Brexit.

People from across the UK marched on Parliament Square, with some saying it was the last chance to show how they felt about getting another Brexit referendum, six months on from the last rally of this scale.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson were among the politicians who addressed the crowd, while inside the House of Commons MPs were voting for another delay to Brexit.

The government is trying hard to get MPs to vote on the prime minister's deal.

Belfast

Politicians in Northern Ireland are sitting in the country's parliament, Stormont, for the first time in nearly three years after being recalled in a last-ditch attempt to stop changes to the abortion law.

Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government since January 2017 with politicians in the House of Commons passing some key laws on behalf of Northern Ireland since that time.

A law that requires the government to liberalise abortion and extend same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland will come in at midnight - something unionist parties don't want to happen.

It's unlikely politicians there will be able to act in time to change anything - but both those for and against abortion laws being relaxed have been out with placards to let their feelings be known.

Protesters in Belfast who don't want abortion laws to change.

Hong Kong

There couldn't be a round-up of protests without mentioning Hong Kong - where pro-democracy demonstrations have been taking place for the past four months.

Authorities didn't give permission for this latest march, but organisers say 350,000 people went out anyway - partly fuelled by anger over an attack on pro-democracy leader Jimmy Sham last week which left him in hospital.

A hardcore element of the group launched petrol bombs at a police station, although not all of Sunday's demonstrators were violent.

"The government are now refusing to authorise any peaceful protest," one person told the BBC at the demo. "That means anyone who comes out will inherently be breaking the law. So that's the tactic the Hong Kong government is using."

In recent weeks, more mass protests have broken out in different countries. All are different with distinct causes, methods, and goals but there are some common themes that connect them.

While thousands of miles apart, protests have begun for similar reasons in several countries, and some have taken inspiration from each other on how to organise and advance their goals. Here's a look at the issues that are common to those taking to the streets.

Climate change

Of course, many of the protests that you hear about will have been linked to the environment and climate change. Activists from the Extinction Rebellion movement have been protesting in cities around the world, as they demand urgent action from governments.

The protests have taken place in countries including the US, UK, Germany, Spain, Austria, France, and New Zealand. Participants have glued and chained themselves to roads and vehicles, and tried to disrupt busy city centers.

"We have no choice but to rebel until our government declares a climate and ecological emergency and takes the action that is required to save us," said Australian activist Jane Morton.

Young people around the world have also been joining weekly school strikes, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Millions last month joined a global climate strike led by schoolchildren, from handfuls of demonstrators on Pacific islands to mass rallies in cities like Melbourne, Mumbai, Berlin and New York.

Inequality

Many of those protesting are people who have long felt shut out of the wealth of their country. In several cases, a rise in prices for key services has proved the final straw.

Demonstrations began in Ecuador last month when the government announced that it was scrapping decades-old fuel subsidies as part of public spending cuts agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The change led to a sharp rise in petrol prices, which many said they could not afford. Indigenous groups feared that the measure would result in increased costs for public transport and food and that their rural communities would be the hardest hit.

Protesters blocked highways, stormed parliament, and clashed with security forces as they demanded an end to austerity and the return of fuel subsidies. The government-backed down after days of mass protests and the action came to an end.

Bolivian President Evo Morales, who resigned in November following weeks of protests, introduced public works projects and social programmes to tackle inequality when he took office in 2006. Extreme poverty then stood at 38% and had fallen to 17% by 2018.

However, his critics said that in the past two years levels of extreme poverty in Bolivia had again been on the rise.

A hike in transport prices has also sparked protests in Chile. The government blamed higher energy costs and a weaker currency for its decision to increase bus and metro fares, but protesters said it was just the latest measure to squeeze the poor.

As demonstrators clashed with security forces on Friday evening, President Sebastián Piñera has pictured dining in an upmarket Italian restaurant - a sign, some said, of the chasm between Chile's political elite and the people on the streets.

Chile is one of Latin America's wealthiest countries but also one of its most unequal - it has the worst levels of income equality among the 36 member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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Like in Ecuador, the government backtracked and suspended its fare hike in an effort to quell the protests. But the protests continued, growing to take in wider grievances.

"This is not a simple protest over the rise of metro fares, this is an outpouring for years of oppression that have hit mainly the poorest," one student taking part in the action told Reuters news agency.

Lebanon has seen similar unrest, with plans to tax WhatsApp calls prompting wider protests about economic problems, inequality, and corruption.

Demonstrators take part in an anti-government protest in the southern city of Tyre, Lebanon, 21 October 2019.

With debt levels soaring, the government has been trying to implement economic reforms to secure a major aid package from international donors. But many ordinary people say they are suffering under the country's economic policies and that government mismanagement is to blame for their troubles.

"We are not here over the WhatsApp, we are here over everything: over fuel, food, bread, over everything," said Abdullah, a protester in Beirut.

Corruption

Claims of government corruption are at the heart of several of the protests and are closely linked to the issue of inequality.

In Lebanon, protesters argue that while they are suffering under an economic crisis, the country's leaders have been using their positions of power to enrich themselves, through kickbacks and favorable deals.

"I've seen a lot of things here but I have never seen such a corrupt government in Lebanon," said 50-year-old protester Rabab.

The government on Monday approved a package of reforms, including slashing politicians' salaries, in an effort to quell the unrest.

People in Iraq have also been calling for the end of a political system that they say has failed them. One of the main points of contention there is the way government appointments are made on the basis of sectarian or ethnic quotas, instead of on merit.

Demonstrators argue that this has allowed leaders to abuse public funds to reward themselves and their followers, with very little benefit to most citizens.

Protesters demonstrate against alleged Iraqi government corruption and poor government services in the holy city of Karbala on 19 October 2019

Protests against alleged government corruption have also taken place in Egypt. The rare demonstrations in September were prompted by a call from Mohamed Ali, an Egyptian businessman living in self-imposed exile in Spain, who accused President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the military of corruption.

His allegations that Mr Sisi and his government have been mishandling funds resonated with many Egyptians who have grown increasingly disaffected by austerity measures.

In Bolivia's 2019 presidential election, many voters cited corruption as their biggest concern and blamed Evo Morales for failing to tackle the issue.

Political freedom

In some countries, protesters are angered by political systems in which they feel trapped.

Demonstrations in Hong Kong began this summer over a bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China in certain circumstances. Hong Kong is part of China but its people enjoy special freedoms and there is a deep sense of fear that Beijing wants to exert greater control.

Like fellow protesters in Chile and Lebanon, the mass action in Hong Kong led to the withdrawal of the controversial legislation, but the protests themselves continued. Among their demands, protesters now want complete universal suffrage, an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality and amnesty for demonstrators who have been arrested.

Their tactics have inspired political activists halfway across the world. Hundreds of thousands of people have rallied in Barcelona to express anger over the jailing of Catalan separatist leaders. The separatists were convicted on 14 October of sedition over their role in a 2017 referendum outlawed by the Spanish courts and a subsequent declaration of independence.

Shortly after the sentence was given, people in Barcelona received a message on a popular encrypted messaging service telling them to go to Barcelona's El Prat airport, mimicking a tactic used by Hong Kong protesters.

As they made their way to the airport, a group of youths shouted: "We're going to do a Hong Kong", according to local media reports.

Catalan protesters have also been distributing infographics made in Hong Kong that detail how demonstrators can protect themselves from police water cannon and tear gas. "Now people must be in the streets, all revolts start there, look at Hong Kong," one protester in Barcelona told AFP news agency.

In Bolivia, Evo Morales's decision to run for a fourth consecutive term in October angered many voters.

In a 2016 referendum, a majority had voted "no" to dropping the limit of term numbers that Bolivians could serve. But Mr Morales's party took the issue to the constitutional court, which abolished the term limits altogether.

2020 has witnessed an array of protests. Despite being in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people across the world have marched on to streets in protest against government policies and deaths of innocent civilians, by uniting to fight for justice. This unity among the masses was not limited to one particular nation, but stretched across the globe against violence or oppression.