Needless to say, 2016 has been a tough one for social justice activists around the world. With the rise in xenophobia after Brexit, the presidential election of Trump and the looming threat of trade deals such as TTIP and CETA, we’ve been busy. But let’s also make sure we celebrate the fact that we have risen to the challenge. Here are seven protests of 2016 that can inspire more movement building and successful activism in 2017.
1. Standing Rock
With thousands of people taking part and millions talking about it on social media, the North Dakota pipeline protests got an international following in 2016. The grassroots movements, spurred by the Native American Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, started in the spring in reaction to the approved construction of the pipeline threatening the region’s clean water and ancient burial grounds. On 4 December, the environmental activists saw a major campaign success as the Army Corps of Engineers denied the permit for the Dakota Access pipeline to drill under the Missouri river. However, many protesters continue to camp on the site not considering the matter solved.
2. Black Lives Matter UK
What began in 2012 as a campaign calling for a nationwide response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the police officer who killed the black teenager Treyvon Martyn, inspired activists in the UK to campaign against police violence and racism in the UK. #BlackLivesMatterUK launched in 2016 with a direct action that brought traffic to a standstill outside Heathrow Airport. This was the beginning of further demonstrations from London to Manchester. Another coordinated action took place across the UK in July, on the fifth anniversary of the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by police in north London, which led to riots in several cities across England in 2011.
3. India labour strike
An estimated 150 million Indian public sector workers took part in a nationwide strike in September that is widely thought to be the world’s largest ever industrial action. The strike saw activists shut down state banks and power stations and halted public transport. Protesting what they refer to as ‘anti-worker and anti-people’ policies of Narendra Modi’s government, the trade union demands include a 692 rupee (approx. £8) daily minimum wage and a ban on privatization in India’s railway.
4. Yarl’s Wood