Politics is carried out everywhere. Social and protest movements around the world empower people to demand change outside of traditional institutions. The protest camp is a new form of protest that has joined the usual repertoire of social media campaigns, community activism and marches of resistance.
Urban protest camps have been a prominent feature of the worldwide uprisings since 2011. They can be found in Tahrir Square, Puerto del Sol, Syntagma Square, New York’s Wall Street and central squares across major US cities, as well as Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. Research from around the globe found the protest camps were strikingly similar. While the grievances of protesters and their demands varied from one place to another, they all shared a common theme.
Each of these camps included common areas such as kitchens and libraries, learning centers, creches, and places of worship. All camps had central places for democratic deliberation, assemblies and collective decision-making. All camps had media centers where journalists could cover the camp while participants created their own media such as newspapers, radio programs, leaflets and social media.
Fighting back
Camps were symbols of protest, but many protests took place outside of them. People marched from the camp and returned there to finish the march. Demonstrators were taught techniques to help them overcome aggressive and hostile policing. They could also receive medical and psychological treatment if they were injured or traumatized by the demonstrations.
Tough day at the office. Andrew Gombert/EPA
While protest camps are found in many different forms around the globe, they all allow people to remain together for longer periods, to eat and sleep with their fellow protesters, as well as share daily routines. Protest camps are different from other protest actions because they provide living spaces for protesters and cater to their needs. Demonstrators can feel as if they are in their second home.
The protest camps are also a place to experiment and try out new ways of organizing our everyday lives. These places are where protesters can not only demand political change, such as direct democracy or equality for women. They can also put it into practice in the space of the camps.
Mounting a challenge
Since 2011, there have been a number of urban protest camps in cities around the world. In that time it became clear that camps could enable broader challenges to politics, even if initially focused on a singular aim. The Kiev Maidan Camp during the winter of 2013-14, and the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement both rocked the political foundations in the countries they took place.
The occupation of Gezi Park was also sparked by fears about plans to remove green space from the center of Istanbul. Over time, however, the protests began to challenge Erdogan’s rule and the AKP in the entire country. The camp was instrumental in forming a coalition between diverse opposition groups who had little common ground before.
Many smaller camps are held to address specific demands and issues, as opposed to a questioning of the entire political system. Take, for instance, the Small Camps that have been occurring in response to Iceland’s Hydropower Expansion Plan since the mid-2000s.
Old dog, New tricks
Protest camps are nothing new. People gathered at camps long before the Occupy Movement camped out in Saint Paul’s to protest nuclear weapons, road projects, and war. In the 1980s, peace camps like Greenham Common in Scotland and Faslane brought people to military bases where nuclear weapons were kept. They also formed the basis of regular protests and blockades at the gates.
A caravan from Faslane, circa 1980s. On display at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum. Michel Curi/Flickr, CC BY
Greenham Common, which lasted 20 years, and Faslane (near the UK Trident nuclear weapon base) celebrate their 35th anniversary this year.
Over the last decade, activists in the UK and internationally have professionalized the protest camp. In 2005, a wide movement against climate change was formed. The protest camp became its primary organizational form. From 2006 to 2010, annual climate camps were organized with increasing sophistication and regularity. has more recently combined concerns over climate change and indigenous rights issues in protest camps against pipelines, such as the North Dakota Access Pipeline.
Climate camps have made a great effort to be democratic and eco-friendly spaces. The climate camps tried to show how a sustainable and just society could function through plenary sessions, shared kitchen rotas, renewable energy and compost toilets. Demonstrators often form tight-knit communities by turning protest camps into temporary homes. This helps them network and organize for the future.
In a world in which political figures such as US President Trump are keen to bypass democratic debate through populism, there is a wish to create spaces of deliberation, community, and political discussion while recognizing the importance of face-to-face interaction when building viable alternatives to the status quo. This will likely involve protest camps.