Protest camps are physical
camps that are set up by
activists, to either provide a base for
protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
, or to delay, obstruct or prevent the focus of their protest by physically blocking it with the camp. Protest camps may also have a symbolic or reproductive component where 'protest campers' try and recreate their desired worlds through the enactment of protest camp infrastructures (such as communal kitchens, child care, environmentally friendly
composting toilet or use of
grey water systems) or through the modes of organising and governance (e.g. direct democracy).
Camping on and/or occupying land has a long history which can be traced back to nomadic cultures as well as the 17th century
Diggers. However, the use of protest camps as a contemporary form of protest can be linked back to the US
civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
of the 1960s and, specifically, "Resurrection City", a protest camp held in May 1968 in
Washington, D.C. as part of the
Poor People's Campaign
The Poor People's Campaign, or Poor People's March on Washington, was a 1968 effort to gain economic justice for poor people in the United States. It was organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( ...
. In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
publicity around the 1982
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
put protest camps in the public imagination. Since then the practice of protest camping has and continues to be used by many social movements around the world.
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp
/ref>
See also
* Camp for Climate Action
* Camp Stupid
* Gdeim Izik protest camp
* Occupation (protest)
* Occupy movement
* Peace camp
* Poor People's Campaign
The Poor People's Campaign, or Poor People's March on Washington, was a 1968 effort to gain economic justice for poor people in the United States. It was organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( ...
* Rossport Solidarity Camp
References
External links
Protest Camps research project
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