This article will focus predominantly on the repertoires of contention used by these social movements, and why some repertoires are more effective than others.Ĭharles Tilly was the first amongst scholars to introduce the concept of ‘repertoires’, to analyse important historical variations of protest. Such a bold intersection from a social media platform forced me to reflect on my study of social movements and collective protest.Īfter extensive reading and analysis, I wanted to shed light on why some social movements have been successful. The President openly affirmed that Americans had the right to express their views and encouraged protestors with his “LIBERATE!” tweets.Īs more anti-COVID protests began to break out across the globe, on the 20th of April Facebook started blocking anti-quarantine messages and events. In his typical manner, Trump took to Twitter to express his support for their claims by stating “They seem very responsible to me”. Those involved carried banners and chanted for liberation, claiming their freedoms had been unlawfully blocked. However, what did take the world by surprise was the President’s reaction to these protests. In a country that deeply treasures individual freedom, it came as no surprise that some citizens would feel attacked by state restrictions. This past week, we have witnessed angry Americans flocking to the streets to protest against COVID-19 lockdown measures.

A critical analysis of different forms of protest and their effectiveness Photo by RODNAE Productions on

Repertoire of contention