Protests in Tbilisi, Georgia, erupted as crowds opposed a bill requiring media and non-commercial organisations to register as foreign-influenced if over 20% of funding is from abroad. Police used water cannon, tear gas, and stun grenades against demonstrators, leading to clashes where police physically attacked protesters. Opposition leader Levan Khabeishvili was reportedly beaten by police. Georgian President Zourabichvili condemned the crackdown, calling it unwarranted. The bill has deepened political divisions, pitting the ruling Georgian Dream party against protesters viewing the legislation as authoritarian and akin to Russian anti-media laws.
Thousands of Georgians protested in Tbilisi against a bill requiring organisations funded from abroad to register as foreign agents. The bill, endorsed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, is criticized as Russian-inspired and seen as an attempt to suppress dissent. Politicians came to blows in parliament during discussions on the bill. The move has strained relations with the West, particularly the EU and the US, which oppose its passage. The bill proposes strict regulations on NGOs and media outlets receiving foreign funding, sparking concerns about freedom of expression in Georgia.
Police in Georgia used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters outside parliament in Tbilisi opposing a bill on foreign funding considered by lawmakers. The bill would require organizations receiving over 20% of funding from abroad to register as foreign agents. The proposed legislation led to violent clashes and sparked criticism from the US, UK, and the EU, with President of the European Council Charles Michel stating it jeopardizes Georgia's bid for EU membership.
The 2023 Georgian protests were a series of street demonstrations taking place throughout Georgia over parliamentary backing of a proposed "Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence", which requires NGOs to register as "agents of foreign influence" if the funds they receive from abroad amount to more than 20% of their total revenue. Police have been reported as using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protests, especially in the capital Tbilisi. The parliament retracted the bill as a result of protests on 10 March 2023.
The ruling Georgian Dream party in Georgia has advanced a bill requiring media and civil society groups to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from overseas. This bill, criticized for mirroring a repressive Russian law, has sparked widespread protests and opposition. EU and US have expressed concerns that the law could negatively impact Georgia's progress towards EU membership and limit freedom of expression. Thousands protested in Tbilisi and other cities, demonstrating against the bill's passage.
Violence broke out in the Georgian parliament as lawmakers clashed over a bill requiring organizations accepting foreign funding to register as foreign agents, denounced as the 'Russian law' and criticized by Western nations. Georgian Dream party, advocating the bill, faced opposition punches and protests against what European countries and the US deem as incompatible with their values. The bill, viewed as a move against alleged foreign interference, has strained Georgia's relations with the West, while critics label it akin to Russian legislation suppressing dissent. Russia's unpopular backing of breakaway regions further fuels tensions in the country.
20,000 protesters gather in Georgia to oppose a 'foreign influence' law resembling Russia's 'foreign agents' law, passed by ruling party despite opposition boycott. Demonstrators chant anti-Russia slogans, demand withdrawal of the bill, and show unity for European aspirations. Protests spread to other cities with reports of police violence against protesters and journalists.
Georgia's governing party has submitted a draft law requiring media and non-commercial organizations to register as being influenced by foreign powers if they receive over 20% of their budget from abroad. The proposal, resembling a previously withdrawn one, is criticized for similarities to Russian laws against independent media. Critics argue it could hinder Georgia's EU accession. President Zourabichvili may veto the law, but her term ends soon, potentially leading to its passage. Protests against the law have occurred, with concerns over democracy and media freedom at stake.
Georgia's government is persisting with a foreign agent law, facing backlash from citizens and international condemnation. The bill aims to determine Georgia's alignment with Europe and the United States or Russia, with critics fearing it undermines democracy and EU aspirations. President Zourabichvili plans to veto the law, but her powers may be overridden. The bill, similar to Russian legislation, requires organizations receiving over 20% of funding from abroad to register as foreign agents. Protests against the bill have led to clashes with police and concerns over freedom of expression and Georgia's EU membership path.
Ruling party in Georgia moves to advance a bill on foreign agents criticized by Western countries, leading to a brawl in parliament. The bill, reintroduced by Georgian Dream, strains relations with the EU and US. The legislation aims to combat foreign influence and promote transparency, but critics view it as authoritarian. Georgia's ties with Russia and the West are at odds, with protests against the bill calling it the 'Russian law.' The US warns passing the law would harm civil society and independent media. Georgia, aiming for EU and NATO membership, faces internal and external divisions.
Levan Khabeishvili (Georgian: ლევან ხაბეიშვილი; born on May 7, 1987) is a Georgian activist and politician who has served as a Member of Parliament since 2020.Entering the public service as a local official in 2008, he joined the ruling United National Movement from a young age, serving both in Tbilisi's local bureaucracy and the Administration of President Mikheil Saakashvili. After the latter's exit from Georgia and his own loss in a local race in 2014, he joined the New Georgia party, under which he ran a failed bid for Parliament in 2016. In 2017, he was elected to the Tbilisi City Assembly as a member of UNM, which launched him a platform from which he became one of the most vocal anti-governmental activists, often accusing the Georgian Dream-led government of corruption.Since 2020, he has been a member of Parliament, although his term has been characterized with boycotts and low attendance. He has been characterized as a populist. He was elected as Chairman of the United National Movement in January 2023, defeating his predecessor Nika Melia.
The United National Movement – United Opposition "Strength is in Unity" Faction is one of two factions in the Parliament of Georgia, working as a coalition of MPs from several political parties, led by the United National Movement and including Progress and Freedom and Victorious Georgia. It is the parliamentary wing of a previous political block first created during the 2018 presidential election to back the candidacy of Grigol Vashadze and then reformed in 2020 to run a joint slate of candidates for that year's parliamentary election. In Parliament, it is the largest grouping of the Parliamentary Opposition (and the only faction), including 20 MPs, and is currently chaired by UNM's Tinatin Bokuchava.The faction is distinguished for its strong opposition to the Georgian Dream-led government and parliamentary majority. Its creation was approved by the Parliament of Georgia in May 2021 after its elected MPs agreed to end their legislative boycott, caused by allegations of voter fraud during the 2020 election. Originally chaired by Khatia Dekanoidze, the latter left the faction in February 2023 in protest of the new leadership elected in the United National Movement. It has been a strong advocate of a pro-European foreign policy, proposing several domestic reforms to harmonize Georgia's legal system according to a set of recommendations issued by the European Commission in June 2022, including the failed Anti-Oligarchy Act of 2022 that would have banned the political involvement of business and media magnates. It is also strongly opposed to any rapprochement towards Russia and has proposed abolishing the visa-free regime between Georgia and the Russian Federation. Since its creation, the faction has engaged in two boycotts besides the original, post-electoral one, both to show opposition to the arrest and treatment of former president Mikheil Saakashvili in prison.While the parliamentary faction remains currently active, its electoral arm formally ceased to exist following the 2020 parliamentary election. Its largest group, the United National Movement, is affiliated with the European People's Party.
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval, or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate by attending, and share the potential costs and risks of doing so. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass political demonstrations. Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or they may undertake direct action in an attempt to enact desired changes themselves. When protests are part of a systematic and peaceful nonviolent campaign to achieve a particular objective, and involve the use of pressure as well as persuasion, they go beyond mere protest and may be better described as civil resistance or nonviolent resistance.Various forms of self-expression and protest are sometimes restricted by governmental policy (such as the requirement of protest permits), economic circumstances, religious orthodoxy, social structures, or media monopoly. One state reaction to protests is the use of riot police. Observers have noted an increased militarization of protest policing in many countries, with police deploying armored vehicles and snipers against protesters. When such restrictions occur, protests may assume the form of open civil disobedience, more subtle forms of resistance against the restrictions, or may spill over into other areas such as culture and emigration.A protest itself may at times be the subject of a counter-protest. In such cases, counter-protesters demonstrate their support for the person, policy, action, etc. that is the subject of the original protest. Protesters and counter-protesters can sometimes violently clash. One study found that nonviolent activism during the civil rights movement in the United States tended to produce favorable media coverage and changes in public opinion focusing on the issues organizers were raising, but violent protests tended to generate unfavorable media coverage that generated public desire to restore law and order.
Protests at US universities over Israel's conflict with Hamas have led to over 550 arrests and violent clashes with law enforcement officials deploying tasers and tear gas at Emory University, despite mostly peaceful demonstrations. Students are demanding divestment from companies connected to Israel and the war in Gaza, with professors also getting detained during the protests.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced his resignation, stating that he has been offered the position of chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. There are reports that Garibashvili will be replaced by the current chairman of Georgian Dream, Irakli Kobakhidze. The resignation comes after the return of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili as the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, raising speculation of a government reshuffle. The Georgian Dream government has faced criticism for its authoritarian tendencies and its alleged appeasement of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests (also known by other names) were a series of demonstrations against the Hong Kong government's introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in regard to extradition. It was the largest series of demonstrations in the history of Hong Kong.The protests began with a sit-in at the government headquarters on 15 March 2019 and a demonstration attended by hundreds of thousands on 9 June 2019, followed by a gathering outside the Legislative Council Complex on 12 June which stalled the bill's second reading. On 16 June, just one day after the Hong Kong government suspended the bill, a larger protest took place to push for its complete withdrawal. The protest was also in response to the perceived excessive use of force by the Hong Kong Police Force on 12 June. As the protests progressed, activists laid out five key demands. Police inaction during the 2019 Yuen Long attack and brutality in 2019 Prince Edward station attack further escalated the protests.Chief Executive Carrie Lam withdrew the bill on 4 September, but refused to concede to the other four demands. A month later, she invoked emergency powers to implement an anti-mask law, escalating the confrontations. The storming of the Legislative Council in July 2019, deaths of Chow Tsz-lok and Luo Changqing, one of whom was unarmed, and sieges of the Chinese University and the Polytechnic University in November 2019 were landmark events. The unprecedented landslide victory of the pro-democracy camp in the November local election was widely regarded as a de facto referendum on the city's governance.The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong in early 2020 largely silenced the protests. Tensions mounted again in May 2020 after Beijing's decision to promulgate a national security bill for Hong Kong. More than a hundred people, including several prominent activists, have been arrested since the imposition of the law. The resulting political atmosphere, along with the crackdown on civil society, sparked a wave of mass emigration from the city. By mid-2020, the Hong Kong government had declared the restoration of peace and stability with the imposition of the national security law.The approval ratings of the government and the police plunged to their lowest points since the 1997 handover. The Central People's Government alleged that foreign powers were instigating the conflict, although the protests have been largely described as "leaderless". The United States passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act on 27 November 2019 in response to the movement. The tactics and methods used in Hong Kong inspired other protests that followed worldwide.
More than 50 anti-Israel protesters were arrested in the U.S. Capitol complex after disrupting the Senate cafeteria, chanting slogans like "Senate cant eat until Gaza eats!" They were charged with Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding. Demonstrators demanded Congress end U.S. weapon sales to Israel and support UNRWA. Protests, organized by Christians for a Free Palestine, have called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza conflict, resulting in ongoing arrests at Capitol Hill.
Police in riot gear arrested 93 people at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles on trespassing charges during a pro-Palestinian protest. Similar protests and clashes occurred at other US universities like the University of Texas and Columbia University. Protests against Israel's military campaign in Gaza have led to arrests at multiple campuses. The demonstrations, marked by chants of "free Palestine," demand universities to cut financial ties with Israel and halt weapon supplies. Amid concerns of antisemitism, tensions rise as police disperse protesters.
People's Power (Georgian: ხალხის ძალა, romanized: khalkhis dzala) is a Georgian political party founded by Georgian MPs Sozar Subari, Mikheil Kavelashvili and Dimitri Khundadze, after they left the ruling Georgian Dream.
Protests calling for universities to divest from companies aiding Israel's military efforts in Gaza have led to over 1,000 arrests, with one incident involving a protester hitting a police officer with a water jug dubbed the "Jug of Justice," sparking online calls to "bonk the police." Artist No$hu turned the incident into a viral trap song, igniting a debate on light-hearted treatment of serious issues and radical politics.
Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (Georgian: ქართული ოცნება – დემოკრატიული საქართველო, romanized: kartuli otsneba – demok'rat'iuli sakartvelo) is a political party in Georgia. The party was established on 19 April 2012 by the businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili. Georgian Dream and its partners in a coalition also named Georgian Dream won majorities in the 2012, 2016, and 2020 general elections. The party is currently led by Irakli Garibashvili as Party Chairman and Irakli Kobakhidze as Prime Minister.
Thousands of Colombians protested in various cities, including the capital, against President Gustavo Petro's reform agenda, with growing momentum since his term began in 2022. Protests included calls for rewriting the constitution for social reforms amidst opposition from Congress and conservative groups. President Petro faced a setback in legislation to enhance state control of healthcare, leading to a decree for the takeover of top medical insurers,
Salome Zourabichvili (French: Salomé Zourabichvili, Georgian: სალომე ზურაბიშვილი, [saɫome zuɾabiʃʷili]; born 18 March 1952) is a French and Georgian politician and former diplomat, currently serving as the fifth president of Georgia, in office since December 2018. She is the first woman to be elected as Georgia's president, a position she will occupy for a term of six years. As a result of constitutional changes coming into effect in 2024, Zourabichvili is expected to be Georgia's last popularly elected president; future heads of state are to be elected indirectly by a parliamentary college of electors.Zourabichvili was born in Paris, France into a family of Georgian political refugees. She joined the French diplomatic service in the 1970s and over three decades went on to occupy a variety of increasingly senior diplomatic positions. From 2003 to 2004, she served as the Ambassador of France to Georgia. In 2004, by mutual agreement between the presidents of France and Georgia, she accepted Georgian nationality and became the Foreign Minister of Georgia. During her tenure at the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), she negotiated a treaty that led to the withdrawal of Russian forces from the undisputed parts of the Georgian mainland. She has also served at the UN Security Council’s Iran Sanctions Committee as the Coordinator of the Panel of Experts.After a falling out with Georgia's then president Mikheil Saakashvili, in 2006 Zourabichvili founded The Way of Georgia political party, which she led until 2010. Ultimately, she was elected to the Georgian Parliament in 2016 as an independent; she vacated her parliamentary seat after being sworn in as president. Zourabichvili ran in the 2018 Georgian presidential election as an independent candidate and prevailed in a run-off vote against the United National Movement nominee Grigol Vashadze. During her presidential campaign Zurabichvili was endorsed by the ruling Georgian Dream party; however, following the 2020–2021 Georgian political crisis, Zourabichvili has become increasingly alienated from the Georgian government, which has also heightened after the 2023 Georgian protests. The inter-institutional conflict eventually led to the Parliament launching the impeachment proceeding against Zourabichvili in September 2023, alleging violation of Constitution on her behalf. However, the Parliament ultimately failed to impeach Zourabichvili.
Protests against the war in Gaza have led to clashes between police and demonstrators at Columbia University in the US, with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson calling for university president Nemat Shafik to resign over the failure to ensure the safety of Jewish students on campus. Demonstrators have also demanded Shafik's resignation. Columbia officials moved classes online amid safety concerns. Johnson warned of potential National Guard intervention to disperse protests. Professor Page Fortna noted objectionable incidents like flag desecration during the protests.
Salomé Zourabichvili's tenure as the fifth president of Georgia began with her inauguration on 16 December 2018, and the first presidency since the adoption of a new Constitution transforming Georgia into a parliamentary system in 2018. Zourabichvili's term is set to be the longest term of any presidency in Georgia's history, as the transition into a new Constitution means that her mandate will last until 2024.Salomé Zourabichvili is a former French diplomat of Georgian origins who served France's diplomatic corps until her selection as Georgia's Foreign Affairs Minister in 2004. Often a critic of bureaucratic restraints, the concentration of powers, and corruption under the leadership of Mikheil Saakashvili, she became an opposition leader in 2006, until joining the Georgian Dream political coalition as an independent member of Parliament in 2016. In 2018, she was elected in a contentious election with 60% of the vote, making her the second non-partisan President of Georgia (the first being her predecessor, Giorgi Margvelashvili.)With limited powers compared to her predecessors, Zourabichvili's presidency began with a move to create an investigation into the mysterious death of former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia, a push that was welcomed by both the Georgian Dream ruling party and members of the opposition.
Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო, romanized: sakartvelo, IPA: [sakʰartʰʷelo] ) is a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is part of the Caucasus region, bounded by the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north and northeast, Turkey to the southwest, Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the southeast. Georgia covers an area of 69,700 square kilometres (26,900 sq mi). It has a population of 3.7 million, of which over a third live in the capital and largest city, Tbilisi. Georgians, who are indigenous to the region, constitute a majority.Georgia has been inhabited since prehistoric times, hosting the world's earliest known sites of winemaking, gold mining, and textiles. The classical era saw the emergence of several kingdoms, such as Colchis and Iberia, that formed the nucleus of the modern Georgian state. In the early fourth century, Georgians officially adopted Christianity, which contributed to their gradual unification and ethnogenesis. In the High Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Georgia reached its Golden Age during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar. The kingdom subsequently declined and disintegrated under the hegemony of various regional powers, including the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia, before being gradually annexed into the Russian Empire starting in 1801.After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Georgia briefly emerged as an independent republic under German protectorate, but was invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1922, becoming one of its constituent republics. In the 1980s, an independence movement grew quickly, leading to Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union in April 1991. For much of the subsequent decade, the country endured economic crises, political instability, and secessionist wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Following the peaceful Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia strongly pursued a pro-Western foreign policy, introducing a series of democratic and economic reforms aimed at integration into the European Union and NATO. The country's Western orientation soon led to worsening relations with Russia, which culminated in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 and continued Russian occupation of parts of Georgia.Georgia is a representative democracy governed as a unitary parliamentary republic. It is a developing country with a very high Human Development Index. Economic reforms since independence have led to higher levels of economic freedom, as well as reductions in corruption indicators, poverty, and unemployment. Georgia is only the second country in the world to legalize cannabis, and the only former socialist state to do so. The country is a member of international organizations, including the Council of Europe, Eurocontrol, BSEC, GUAM, Energy Community. As part of the Association Trio, Georgia is a candidate for EU membership.
The Israel–Hamas war sparked protests, demonstrations, and vigils around the world. These events focused on a variety of issues related to the conflict, including demands for a ceasefire, an end to the blockade, returning Israeli hostages, protesting war crimes, and providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Protests against Israeli action in Gaza were notably large across the Middle East and North Africa, particularly following the al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion. Since the war began on 7 October, the number of dead has exceeded 20,000.Some of the pro-Palestinian protests have resulted in violence and accusations of anti-semitism, and consequentially in some European countries, some public support for Palestine and the Palestinian cause was criminalized, with countries such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Hungary restricting pro-Palestinian political speech. Germany banned fundraising, the displaying of the Palestinian flag and the wearing of the keffiyeh. The conflict also sparked large protests at Israeli and U.S. embassies around the world.Research by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project indicated that from 7 October to 24 November, there were at least 7,283 pro-Palestinian protests and 845 pro-Israel protests around the world.
Actress Susan Sarandon marched with anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University, leading them in chants and breaking into stanzas for demonstrators to repeat. Protests included calls for an intifada and the death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading to the arrest of 108 people. Sarandon, dropped by her talent agency for previous appearances at similar rallies, continues her pro-Palestinian activism despite repercussions. Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter was among those arrested, and another ex-professor was spotted at the protest. Sarandon has made multiple appearances at pro-Palestinian rallies since a Hamas attack on Israel in October.
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between the demonstrators and the Chinese government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government declared martial law on the night of 3 June and deployed troops to occupy the square in what is referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The events are sometimes called the '89 Democracy Movement, the Tiananmen Square Incident, or the Tiananmen uprising.The protests were precipitated by the death of pro-reform Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989 amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social change in post-Mao China, reflecting anxieties among the people and political elite about the country's future. The reforms of the 1980s had led to a nascent market economy that benefited some people but seriously disadvantaged others, and the one-party political system also faced a challenge to its legitimacy. Common grievances at the time included inflation, corruption, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy, and restrictions on political participation. Although they were highly disorganized and their goals varied, the students called for things like rollback of the removal of "iron rice bowl" jobs, greater accountability, constitutional due process, democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. Workers' protests were generally focused on inflation and the erosion of welfare. These groups united around anti-corruption demands, adjusting economic policies, and protecting social security. At the height of the protests, about one million people assembled in the square.As the protests developed, the authorities responded with both conciliatory and hardline tactics, exposing deep divisions within the party leadership. By May, a student-led hunger strike galvanized support around the country for the demonstrators, and the protests spread to some 400 cities. In response, the State Council declared martial law on May 20 and on June 2, the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee made the decision to use military force to clear the square, leading to clashes between the military and demonstrators. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded. The vast majority of those killed were civilians, though a small number of soldiers were also killed.The event had both short and long term consequences. It was condemned by the West, many members of the Eastern Bloc including the Soviet Union, some Asian and Latin American countries and many members of the Chinese diaspora. Western countries imposed arms embargoes on China which still remain in force today, and media outlets in both the West and non-West have labeled the crackdown a massacre. In the aftermath of the protests, the Chinese government suppressed other protests around China, carried out mass arrests of protesters which catalyzed Operation Yellowbird, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic and foreign affiliated press, and demoted or purged officials it deemed sympathetic to the protests. The government also invested heavily into creating more effective police riot control units. More broadly, the suppression ended the political reforms begun in 1986 and halted the policies of liberalization of the 1980s, which were only partly resumed after Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour in 1992. Considered a watershed event, reaction to the protests set limits on political expression in China that have lasted up to the present day. The events remain one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China.
Egyptian authorities arrested 10 activists who accused the government of contributing to the siege of Gaza and called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. Egypt has condemned Israel's campaign in Gaza and has played a key role in ceasefire efforts. Public protests are largely banned in Egypt, with criticism of ties to Israel being sensitive. The activists were charged with spreading false information and joining a terror group, often linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Protests against Egypt's cooperation with Israel and restrictions on aid to Gaza have led to arrests.
Workers at Russias diplomatic mission in Georgia on Tuesday dismantled a makeshift memorial to the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny, the Paper Kartuli media outlet reported Tuesday. Thousands of supporters have placed flowers at memorials in Russia and outside Russian embassies around the world since the announcement of Navalnys death on Feb. 16. On Tuesday, a group of men was seen throwing ribbons, candles and flowers placed in tribute to Navalny into garbage bags at Moscow's interests section in Tbilisi. Supporters of the late activist present at Russia's interests section, which is based at the Swiss Embassy, tried to save some of the items from being tossed out by diplomatic staff.
The April 2024 Israel–Hamas war protests on university campuses are a series of demonstrations and protests that began at Columbia University in New York City on April 17, 2024. The protests began in response to a pro-Palestinian campus occupation at Columbia. Authorized by university president Minouche Shafik, the New York City Police Department entered the encampment established by students and conducted mass arrests. Protesters at Columbia have sought for the university to divest from Israel and disassociate with Israeli academic institutions.The protests began on April 22, when students at several universities on the East Coast — including New York University, Yale University, Emerson College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University — began occupying campuses. Protests began emerging throughout the United States in the following days.In response to the protests, police departments have detained students and university administrators have suspended students. As of April 25, over five hundred students have been arrested.
The George Floyd protests were a series of police brutality protests that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of international reactions to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, during an arrest. Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis Police Department officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as three other officers looked on and prevented passers-by from intervening. Chauvin and the other three officers involved were later arrested. In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22+1⁄2 years in prison.The George Floyd protest movement began hours after his murder as bystander video and word of mouth began to spread. Protests first emerged at the East 38th and Chicago Avenue street intersection in Minneapolis, the location of Floyd's arrest and murder, and other locations in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota. Protests quickly spread nationwide and to over 2,000 cities and towns in over 60 countries in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Polls in the summer of 2020 estimated that between 15 million and 26 million people had participated at some point in the demonstrations in the United States, making the protests the largest in U.S. history.While the majority of protests were peaceful, demonstrations in some cities escalated into riots, looting, and street skirmishes with police and counter-protesters. Some police responded to protests with instances of violence, including against reporters. At least 200 cities in the U.S. had imposed curfews by early June 2020, while more than 30 states and Washington, D.C. activated over 96,000 National Guard, State Guard, 82nd Airborne, and 3rd Infantry Regiment service members. The deployment, when combined with preexisting deployments related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural disasters, constituted the largest military operation other than war in U.S. history. By the end of June 2020, at least 14,000 people had been arrested. By June 2020, more than 19 people had died in relation to the unrest. A report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project estimated that between May 26 and August 22, 93% of individual protests were "peaceful and nondestructive" and research from the Nonviolent Action Lab and Crowd Counting Consortium estimated that by the end of June, 96.3% of 7,305 demonstrations involved no injuries and no property damage. However, arson, vandalism, and looting that occurred between May 26 and June 8 caused approximately $1–2 billion in insured damages nationally, the highest recorded damage from civil disorder in U.S. history, and surpassing the record set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.The protests precipitated a worldwide debate on policing and racial injustice that has led to numerous legislative proposals on federal, state, and municipal levels in the U.S. intended to combat police misconduct, systemic racism, qualified immunity and police brutality. The protests led to a wave of monument removals, name changes, and societal changes throughout the world and occurred during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election season. Protests continued through 2020 and into 2021, most notably in Minneapolis at the 38th and Chicago Avenue street intersection where Floyd was murdered that activists have referred to as George Floyd Square. Several demonstrations coincided with the criminal trial of Chauvin in March and April 2021 and the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder in May 2021. Officials in Minnesota and elsewhere proactively mobilized counter-protest measures for Chauvin's trial, but it did not result in unrest like what happened immediately after Floyd's murder.Local officials in Minneapolis–Saint Paul prepared counter-protest measures in early 2022 for the start of the federal trial for the other three police officers at the scene of Floyd's murder. Relatively small protests took place during the trial and after the verdict announcement. On May 25, 2021, the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder, a number of protests took place; most of these were short-lived, with calm being restored on the early hours of May 26, 2021. While the nationwide protests ended, the occupation of George Floyd Square in Minneapolis–Saint Paul persisted into 2023, however as of 2022 vehicular traffic was finally allowed to pass through it. On May 2, 2023, Tou Thao was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter—the last federal or state court case related to Floyd's murder. The conviction fulfilled a key demand of protesters that all four police officers be held legally accountable for murdering George Floyd.
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