English Vocabulary for Protests and Demonstrations

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When many people are unhappy about something, they might decide to organize into large groups to show their frustration publicly. These demonstrations can be peaceful, violent or sometimes even both.

This article will explain some of the most common English vocabulary related to demonstrations and provide examples to show how they are used.

General Terms

Protest

As a verb, "protest" means "to publicly or officially show disagreement."

The residents of the community protested the new construction in their neighborhood.

As a noun, a "protest" is a gathering of people with the aim of showing disagreement with something.

After the murder of George Floyd in 2021, anti-racism protests occurred around the world.

Notice the difference in pronunciation between the two forms: As a verb, the stress is on the second syllable (pro-test), while the noun has the stress on the first syllable (pro-test).

A person who joins a protest is a "protester."

Thousands of protesters gathered in the center of the city.

Counter-protest

"Counter-" is a prefix that means "against" or "together with." Think of the meanings of words like "counterbalance" or "counterpart."

A "counter-protest" is an organized gathering of people who are against the goals of another protest. For example, if there is a protest against a particular law, there may be a counter-protest that supports that law.

Police were called in to deal with members of the counter-protest, who were causing a disturbance.

Assemble

This verb is a formal way of saying "gather" or "get together."

The protesters are scheduled to assemble in front of city hall at noon.

Chant

Protestors holding "Black Lives Matter" signs at an outdoor demonstration

Protesters often "chant," or repeatedly shout or sing a phrase.

The crowds at the anti-racism demonstration chanted, "Refugees are welcome here."

Chanting is not limited to protests, of course; you can also hear it at sporting events and concerts, for example.

Disperse

This is a verb that means "to break up" or "spread apart." It's often used in stories about protests to refer to people leaving — sometimes peacefully, but sometimes by force.

Police were called in to disperse the crowds.
Some of the crowd began to disperse when it started to rain.

Solidarity

The main idea of protests is for people with shared beliefs to come together and show their strength as a unit. The noun "solidarity" refers to this, as it comes from the root word "solid."

Many scientists have shown their solidarity with climate change activists.

Terms for Disorder

Not all protests are peaceful. When many passionate people with strong opinions gather, it can sometimes lead to trouble. Here are some words often used to talk about these situations.

Riot

A man holding a national flag as a car burns behind him

"Riots" happen when a gathering of people behave in a violent or uncontrolled way.

Many parts of the town were destroyed by the riot.

You may sometimes see "spark" in relation to riots and other disturbances. Although it has other meanings as well, in this context, it is an event or situation that leads to greater disorder.

The killing of three young girls sparked riots across the UK in August 2024.

A "rioter" is a person involved in a riot.

Rioters smashed windows and set fire to several vehicles.

Erupt

This verb is mostly used to describe volcanoes that shoot out smoke and rocks. These "eruptions" (the noun form) usually happen very suddenly and can be extremely dangerous.

Similarly, violence in protests can also happen quickly, which is why the same word is used.

Many residents fear the protests may erupt into chaos at any moment.

Clash / Scuffle

Both of these nouns refer to physical fights that can occur when members of two different groups meet.

Residents reported clashes between protesters and counter-protesters.
Authorities arrested several people involved in the scuffle.

"Clash" can also be used as a verb.

Rioters clashed with police officers, leading to several arrests.

Loot / Looter

"Looting" is often connected to rioting. People loot when they break into stores or private property to steal or destroy items. People who do this are called "looters."

In addition to heavy property damage, several stores were looted during the riots.
Shop owners put boards over their stores' windows and doorways to keep out looters.

Mob

A group of protests raising fists and holding signs in the street

A "mob" is a group of people who do illegal activities such as looting, rioting and attacking people.

Local residents were told to remain indoors to avoid the violent mobs in the streets.