Is Protest the Answer?

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, the publishers of this magazine, are politically neutral. (John 17:16; 18:36) Thus, while the following article reports on specific examples of civil unrest, it does not endorse one nation over another to  take sides on any political issue.

ON December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi reached his limit. He was a 26-year-old street vendor in Tunisia who was frustrated with being unable to find a better job. He was also aware of corrupt official's demands for bribes.  On that particular morning, inspectors confiscated Mohamed's supply of pears, bananas, and apples.  When they took his scales, he resisted, and some witnesses say that a female police officer slapped him.

Humiliated and enraged, Mohamed went to the nearby government office to complain but could not a hearing. In front of the building, he reportedly shouted, "How do you expect me to make a living?"  After dousing himself with a flammable liquid, he struck a match. He died of his burns less than 3 weeks later.

Mohamed Bouazizi's desperate act resonated with people in Tunisia and beyond.  May consider his actions the trigger for an uprising that toppled the country's regime and protests that soon spread to other Arab countries. The European Parliament awarded Bouazizi and four others the 2011 Sakharov Prize for freedom of Thought, and the Times London named him its 2011 person of the year. 

As that example shows, protests can be a powerful force.  But what is behind the recent wave of protests? And are there any alternatives?

Next time: Is Protest the Answer? - Why the Surge in Protests?

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