How to win a protest

Here, there, protests everywhere. It seems as though at every corner, people are on the streets fighting for change. And yet, governments aren't toppled in a day, a week, or even a year. So what's next? If you're looking to spark change, here's how to win protests.

Hazar Deniz Eker and Nevena Vračar

Step 1: reach out

Your movement cannot just exist for young students in large cities. The Serbian, Georgian, and Turkish governments have strong support bases in rural communities. Faced with pro-government channels and less access to social media, they are alienated from Gen Z-led movements.

So reach out beyond the city. "Disperse, diffuse, decenter" is the key advice Yusuf Can, the coordinator of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, gave us on protests.

Serbian students took that advice literally. Igor Jovanović, a student from Belgrade, walked over 350 kilometres through Serbia. "We passed through small, forgotten villages where elderly locals greeted us with home-made food and tears in their eyes. There was so much honest emotion in the mutual understanding that, if we can make such a sacrifice, they have no excuse not to join us."

The walks showed locals that they, too, belong to the solidarity of the movement and inspired them to protest locally. Demonstrations have now been held in more than 400 cities, towns, and villages.

Or take Türkiye, where media consumption changes. Pro-government channels didn't even broadcast the gathering of 2.2 million people (according to the opposition) last Saturday, and independent outlets were even banned from TV broadcasts.

It didn't matter. Banned outlets livestreamed the protests online, topping the ratings and outdoing pro-government coverage. This is a larger trend, as independent online media grows in popularity, such as 'street reporters', who hand people a microphone and an online audience to voice their concerns all across the country.

Step 2: express yourself!

Whether it's running away from police in a Pikachu costume or hiking 250 kilometres through the Serbian countryside, creativity grabs attention, and even inspires others internationally. Turkish students told us that they felt moved by images of Georgians protesting, and in a nod to their fellow Turks, Pikachu's showed up at protests in Serbia and Georgia.

When done right, creativity can help break down complex issues for a large audience. Students in Niš lead by example: dozens of them formed a giant queue at the unemployment office, only to one by one ask whether they could apply for jobs even if they were not SNS (ruling party) members. Their creative disruption made national headlines and sparked debate around the high youth unemployment and unequal access to work for SNS members in Serbia.

These creative methods don't just spread a message but forge emotional bonds within the movement. An art collective in Belgrade already hosted two protest-themed exhibitions showcasing the whirlwind of hope and uncertainty captured by student art in recent months, allowing Serbians to mourn the victims in Novi Sad. Now, rumour has it that a protest art museum is in the works, cementing the memory of the protests in history.

Step 3: change things now

For a movement to truly flourish, it has to move beyond mass gatherings and use that energy for political action.

Serbian students organise assemblies during the protests, democratically deciding on demands and protest methods. "They gained leverage through their longevity and scale. Now they encourage regular citizens to do the same," Strahinja Subotić, senior researcher at the European Policy Centre in Belgrade, told The European Correspondent.

Spread all across the country, citizens' assemblies host debates. These go beyond the protests: they discuss everyday struggles of communities, breathe life back into local politics and keep a check on government power. "This process is not only shown to make for more effective decision-making, but is also better aligned with the interests of the people it affects," policy analyst Tara Tepavac shared with us.

Around 40 assemblies lit up the streets in Novi Sad alone last weekend, while others declared Serbian president Aleksander Vučić a persona non grata, symbolically banishing him from their cities.

Meanwhile, local assemblies are a well-established practice in Türkiye. As the government restricts women's rights, the We Stop Femicides Platform established women's assemblies in all 81 Turkish provinces. "We both talk about discrimination against women, but also about other disenfranchised groups," Esin Uysal of the Platform told us.

These women's assemblies have been successful. Women in conservative parts of the country attend them regularly, receive legal support, and say that they feel more informed about their rights.

Step 4: Keep the momentum

Reaching far into the country, inspiring the world with creativity, and organising locally are all key to turning a movement into long-lasting change. 

And yet: we don't want to sugar coat the process. It's not easy. Governments have cracked down on the protests violently. While students defy the response, it's important to remember that where governments fail, citizens can take up the responsibility.