00:00Protest, dissent, disagreement, opposition – call it by any other name, but resistance
00:06remains civil society's most potent weapon against injustice and subjugation.
00:13In 1981, William Thomas stood before the White House for the first time.
00:18He launched a peace vigil against nuclear weapons.
00:21It became America's longest-running protest, lasting 35 years.
00:26He was joined by activist Conceptian Pichilato.
00:30Their signs were bold – ban all nuclear weapons or have a nice doomsday.
00:36Through arrests, storms and scorching summers, they stood firm.
00:41Their vigil was a spark.
00:43Today, that spark burns brighter.
00:45Democracy is straining at the seams as authoritarian governments lock horns with citizens.
00:51Right-wing politics is surging across the globe.
00:54In the United States, leaders stroke division targeting immigrants.
00:59Germany's alternate for Deutschland pushes anti-migrant fear.
01:04Argentina's Javier Millet slashes public services, fueling unrest.
01:10India witnesses a rise in Hindu nationalism, sparking communal tensions.
01:15Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro crashes dissent to hold power.
01:20Sweden faces rising anti-immigrant parties.
01:23Bulgaria sees a nationalist revival.
01:26Fear, inequality and mistrust.
01:29Married with economic hardship and cultural divides fuel the fire.
01:34Yet, hope endures.
01:36Ordinary people rise.
01:38In Los Angeles, the streets pulse with defiance.
01:41Protesters march against ICE raids.
01:44They demand justice for families torn apart.
01:48Signs read,
01:48No cages, no raids.
01:51Tear gas strings the air.
01:53Federal forces stand watch.
01:55Yet, the crowds press on.
01:58Across the United States, this defiance peaked on June 14th with the No Kings protests.
02:04In over 2,000 cities and towns, millions rallied against the Trump administration's policies,
02:12mass deportations, attacks on civil liberties and defiance of judicial rulings.
02:16In Venezuela, the fight is fierce.
02:20In July 2024, thousands protested Maduro's disputed election win.
02:26No vote tallies were released.
02:28Repression followed.
02:2925 killed.
02:31Over 1,800 jailed.
02:33Neighbors shared food.
02:35Protesters used encrypted apps to organize.
02:38This is resistance.
02:40This is hope.
02:41Editor Chinki Sinha wrote in Outlook India's December 2021 issue,
02:47Every act of dissent is an art of pain and pathos, of hope and new dawn.
02:53It's their story.
02:54It's everyone's story.
02:56The movement grows louder.
02:58In Germany, 20,000 rally in Berlin.
03:01They counter far-right hate with rainbow flags and anti-fascist songs.
03:06In Argentina, workers strike against Malay's austerity.
03:11Buenos Aires halts as unions chant,
03:14The homeland is not for sale.
03:17In India, Shaheen Bagh's women led a revolution.
03:20From 2019 to 2020, they protested for months against citizenship laws seen as anti-Muslim.
03:28Their sit-in inspired millions.
03:30The farmers' protests that lasted for over a year against the implementation of the three
03:36draconian farm laws is a testament to the will of the citizens.
03:41Chinki Sinha wrote,
03:42The great power of non-violent uprisings was evident in the Shaheen Bagh protests.
03:48What can be more direct than an encampment of several hundred people?
03:53Bulgaria's youth toppled corrupt leaders in 2020.
03:56Bangladesh's students ousted an autocrat in August 2024.
04:01In his article, I protest, therefore I am,
04:04Professor Apoor Anand wrote in Outlook's November 2021 issue,
04:09Protests help us transcend the limits that make us human.
04:14We know we are incomplete and strive for fullness.
04:17By drawing us out of ourselves, protests do it for us.
04:22From Thomas and Picholato's vigil to Shaheen Bagh's protests to America's No Kings movement,
04:29protests are hope in motion.
04:31They prove one truth.
04:33When power falters, people rise.
04:36Outlook India's year-ender 2021 issue captures this fire.
04:41From India's farmer strikes to Shaheen Bagh protests to the global cries for justice.
04:47Chinki Sinha writes,
04:49The protests are rhizomatic.
04:51There were no regular heroes, no singular agendas.
04:55There is an antidote to the lonely crowd future,
04:59the imperfect similarities, the communes.
05:02From Los Angeles's anti-ICE marches to the no-king rallies across 2,000 American cities,
05:10resistance unites us against fear and division.
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