Protests against responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
Protests, demonstrations and strikes occurred around the world against national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by governmental bodies. Some were driven by the financial hardship resulting from government measures to contain the virus, including restrictions on travel and entertainment, hitting related industries and workers hard. Protests also occurred in opposition to restrictions on people's movements, compulsory wearing of face masks, lockdowns, vaccinations and other measures that have been criticized for violating autonomy and freedom.
This article lists and summarizes such activities in various countries around the world.
Background
Reasons
In order to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus which gave rise to the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019, governments brought in health measures at varying levels of strictness to restrict the movement of people and transmission of the virus. In response to these restrictions, protests have been organised at a number of locations around the world, and strikes have also occurred.Some of the protests have criticised governments for not acting effectively enough in their responses to the pandemic, while others have been opposed to preventative measures and called for their revocation. Protesters claimed that stay-at-home orders infringed upon constitutional rights, viewing the mandates as excessive governmental control and violating personal freedoms and civil liberties. Government officials were also criticized for their inconsistency and hypocrisy in regards to pandemic guidelines. According to analysis as part of the Global Peace Index, as of 2021, there had been around 50,000 protests linked to the pandemic worldwide, 5,000 of which were violent. COVID-19 lockdowns have inspired protests in many territories, and from late 2020 deployment of COVID-19 vaccines also inspired protests.
The protests have varied in scale, motivations and type, with protesters drawn from a fairly wide range of backgrounds and inspired by a range of reasons. One of the main drivers has been the economic distress brought about by businesses having to close for long periods, leading to widespread unemployment, especially of casual workers in the hospitality industry. Uncertainty about the future and the feeling of lack of control has led to a predilection for believing in conspiracy theories, such as that COVID-19 is a hoax and that governments have deliberately created the crisis.
A majority of the protesters have aligned themselves on the political right. The Telegram and Instagram apps were popular means for spreading messages about planned protests, and some events were also posted on Facebook.
Africa
Ivory Coast
Protesters destroyed a coronavirus testing centre that was being built in Abidjan, which they said was in a crowded residential area too close to their homes.Kenya
The Kenyan government has been accused of extreme measures, with protesters accusing the Kenyan Police of killing at least six people within the first 10 days of the lockdown. Others protested against the forced quarantine of individuals failing to comply with regulations or returning home from abroad, claiming that they had been quarantined for longer than 14 days and made to pay the government for their care. Hundreds protested on 8 May 2020 when the government destroyed 7,000 homes and a market in Kariobangi in an effort to control the virus.Malawi
A Malawi high court temporarily barred the government from implementing a 21-day lockdown after it was challenged by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition, after it was argued that more consultation was needed to prevent harm to the poorest and most vulnerable. Small protests had been staged prior to the ruling, in at least three major cities with some protesters stating it was better to contract the virus than die of hunger due to lack of work.Nigeria
A group of at least twenty coronavirus patients forced their way out of an isolation facility to protest against alleged improper care and the government's actions which they believed to worsen their conditions. Workers at a construction site rioted against lockdown measures that limited their ability to work on constructing an oil refinery for billionaire Aliko Dangote.Rwanda
Refugees that had been relocated to the country from an overcrowded refugee camp in Libya, protested against the lockdown from the refugee camp in the capital Kigali.South Africa
Many residents protested against the policy that food parcel aid would only be going to households that earn below R3600, and demanded action from the South African Social Security Agency. Surfers have also protested to be allowed to surf during the lockdown, that allows exercise but not water activities.Zimbabwe
Three young, female opposition activists were reported missing following a protest in Harare, Zimbabwe, over COVID-19 lockdown measures on 15 May 2020. They were later treated at a hospital after asserting they had been abducted and sexually abused by suspected state security agents.Asia
China (mainland)
Small shop owners protested the continuation of rent charges outside of the Grand Ocean Department Store in Wuhan, chanting "Exempt rental for a year, or refund the lease". Videos from the demonstration were posted in the social media platform Sina Weibo but quickly censored. A woman was arrested and facing criminal charges after attempting to rally about 100 people to protest the poor management and overpriced provisions during the lockdown. She was charged with "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", an offense normally used to detain dissidents and social activists.In 2022, public protests and marches began in cities such as Ürümqi and Guangzhou in response to the continued zero-COVID policy of the Chinese Communist Party under general secretaryship of Xi Jinping. In Shanghai, some protesters among hundreds had chanted "Step down, Xi Jinping! Step down, Communist Party!"
Hong Kong
Pro-democratic movement's tactics were repurposed to pressure the government to take stronger actions to safeguard Hong Kong's public health in the face of the coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong. Protesters demanded all travellers coming from China be banned from entering Hong Kong. From 3 to 7 February 2020, hospital staff launched a labour strike with the same goal. The strike was not successful as Carrie Lam rejected a full border closure.People responded negatively to the government's attempt to set up quarantine and clinical centres in neighbourhoods close to residents and marched to express their discontent or blocked roads to thwart the government's plans across the territory.
India
After the televised announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the lockdown was to be extended until at least 3 May, police used batons to disperse protesting migrant workers in Mumbai. Thousands of jobless migrant workers had gathered at railway stations and were demanding to be allowed to break the lockdown to return home. Similar protests were seen in other parts of the country by the workers, and those who claimed that they received no aid which was promised by the government to provide them with during the lockdown period.In the state of Meghalaya anti mandatory vaccination protesters organised a rally in the capital city Shillong against the alleged mandatory inoculation drive by the state government.
In State of Maharashtra similar anti mandatory mask and anti mandatory mask protest were held.
Several legal cases were filed in multiple high courts of India and the Supreme Court of India against mandatory masking and vaccinations.
Indonesia
On 5 October 2020, Indonesia has passed a law on job creation that will weaken environmental protections and workers’ rights in an attempt to boost the economy hit hard by the Wuhan pneumonia pandemic. On 6 October, thousands of Indonesians protest in industrial areas around Jakarta including Tangerang and Karawang and on Batam. A three-day national strike was started which unions expected to involve two million workers in protest against the law.Demonstrations in Bandung and Jakarta were held on 22 July and 24 July respectively in order to protest the extension of the government's "social activities restriction" measures.
Israel
In April 2020, thousands of Israelis engaged in social distancing while gathering to protest against the perceived anti-democratic measures in the country by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many were involved in the Black Flag movement which had been allowed to protest by police if they stood six feet apart and all wore masks. An earlier protest had seen the protesters drive to Jerusalem to protest anti-democratic measures. Other demonstrations have been seen in the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim with men and youths throwing rocks at police before being arrested. Riots broke out in Bnei Brak with crowds vandalizing property and throwing rocks against police attempts to clear yeshiva classes and religious gatherings being held in violation of lockdown rules.Iraq
Protests against the lockdown have been coupled with the ongoing protests against the current government and female-targeting violence within the country.Kazakhstan
In April 2020, following the announcement of quarantine measures, videos of hospital staff in Atyrau protesting against the new rules were circulated on social media, leading to the detention of several journalists who reported on the incident.On 25 January 2021, a demonstration was held in the city of Kokshetau, where citizens expressed discontent with the concept of compulsory COVID-19 vaccination. The deputy akim met with the crowd and assured them that vaccination would remain a personal choice.
In response to the government's vaccine mandate for all in-person employees, protests took place across Kazakhstan on 6 July 2021. Protesters demanded an end to fines imposed on business owners who refused to enforce vaccination among workers, as well as free PCR testing for the unvaccinated. In Oral, instructions were distributed to the crowd advising how to avoid inoculation. Reports of detentions by police occurred in Almaty and Aktobe that day.
On 17 July 2021, demonstrations continued in several cities. In Pavlodar, around one hundred people gathered at the central square before being dispersed by security forces; some protesters were detained and pushed into police vans, while others managed to flee.
During the 2022 unrest in Kazakhstan, oil workers in Zhanaozen, protesting against rising liquefied petroleum gas prices, also demanded the abolition of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. As the protests gained momentum, the unrest expanded beyond economic grievances, with participation calls spreading across social media, particularly in Almaty, for rallies against forced vaccination and the use of check-in QR codes.