2020 by the Young Diplomats Society

UROPE
A CONTINENT OF PROTESTS
Europe was no exception to the worldwide Black
Lives Matter and various “anti-lockdown”
protests seen across the globe. However, amidst
soaring COVID-19 numbers, which saw Europe
as the epicentre of the virus on numerous
occasions, citizens still took to the streets in the
hundreds of thousands throughout the year.
In July, Bulgaria observed a series of protests in
response to ongoing grievances about
government corruption. These protests were
sparked by a police raid alleged to have been
directly targeting opponents of the government,
resulting in protesters taking to the streets for
more than 100 days.
In November French citizens took to the streets
in a separate protest to declare their opposition
to new security legislation - granting greater
power to the police and posing a perceived threat
to civil liberties. The announcement of this law
came just days a er police were lmed
physically and verbally abusing a black man. UN
experts have stated that the law is “incompatible”
with international law and human rights.
Of course, a year of French protest would not be
complete without the presence of the Yellow Vest
protesters - emerging a er a coronavirus
lockdown enforced hiatus in September. These
protests, which rst began in 2018, have
continued to have a presence in public discourse
throughout France. This tinderbox of issues
across France are sure to result in increased
discontent over the coming year.
November saw the eruption of disruption in
North Macedonia, where people came out in
protest to demand the country’s Social Democrat
Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev, resign.
In France, protesters spilt onto the streets
following the beheading of a schoolteacher who
displayed cartoons of the prophet Muhammad to
his students. President Macron’s response to the
attack saw counter-protests in the Muslim
world, which called for boycotting of French
products.
Furthermore, protests and disruption across
Belarus has been present for more than 100
days, with arrests of protestors continuing into
November. Protestors are demanding that the
country's authoritarian leader, President
Alexander Lukashenko, resign. These protesters
have been making noise on a daily basis since
early August.
Additionally, Poland also saw its fair share of
protests, largely against the actions of its rightwing
government. New restrictive abortion laws,
LGBT free zones, and interference in the judicial
system have sparked a wave of demonstrations
by citizens - marking some of the largest
protests in the countries history.
Finally, Greta Thunberg continued the school
strike for climate online.
ELIZA ARCHER