Demonstration
A
demonstration is the public display of the common
opinion of a group of people, whether members of the public, a sector of the
community, or an
activist group. Topics of demonstrations often deal with
politics,
economics, and
society, or the issues related to it. Thus, such an opinion is
demonstrated to be public and significant by gathering in a crowd, usually at a symbolic place or date, associated with that opinion. If a demonstration is targeted against a certain nation, the demonstration would take place infront of the embasy of the nation in question. Demonstrations can be used to show an opinion in
protest or as a criticism of a public issue or a perceived
grievance or
social injustice. The
First Amendment of the United States Constitution specifically allows demonstrations and the
freedom of assembly as part of a measure to facilitate the redress of such grievances.
A demonstration is usually considered more successful the more people participate. A growing trend in the
United States has been the implementation of "free speech zones," a fenced-in area which is often far-removed from the event which is being protested; critics of free-speech zones argue that they go against the First Amendment of the
United States Constitution by their very nature and that they lessen the impact the demonstration might have otherwise had.
Some demonstrations and
protests can turn, at least partially, into
riots or
violence against objects such as
automobiles and
businesses, bystanders and the
police. These acts of destruction against
private property are targeted toward major
corporations and
chain stores, and rarely affect independently-owned businesses. Police often use
non-lethal force weapons, such as
tasers,
rubber bullets and
pepper spray against the crowd; it is believed by some that they use
agents provocateurs to rile the crowd, thereby justifying the use of violence against demonstrators.
*
Crowd control*
Stuckist demonstrations*
Essay on ICTs and their use in protests
