The Screening Protest Project

September’s protests around the globe

Protesters in Prague demonstrate at a pro-migration/refugee event

September has seen both violent and peaceful political protests unfolding across the globe. Nepalese have protested, both before and after their county’s parliament overwhelmingly voted to adopt a new constitution. In Europe, Moldovans continued largely peaceful protests that began earlier this year and demanded that members of their government step down. In Africa, Burkinabé poured into the streets of Ouagadoudu to protest a coup attempt which occurred almost exactly a year after protests brought about the end of President Blaise Compaoré’s 27 years in office. While the protests in Ouagadougu and Nepal turned violent, recent protests in the relatively wealthy countries of Europe have remained largely peaceful as tens of thousands demonstrated in support of or opposition to permitting politically un-represented refugees from seeking asylum within the borders of the European Union. Although most of these protests remain unresolved, their geographical and cultural diversity provide researchers with opportunities as they seek to understand how different media networks report on contemporary protests.

Jacob Sommer