#1: People’s Climate March and Environmental Protests

The People’s Climate March (PCM) is an annual march in NYC, including 162 other countries, that attracts over 100 world leaders and environmental enthusiasts nationwide. In addition to the annual rally, the organization branches off into several local projects and helps promote these current and future projects working to alleviate climate change. Since climate change is caused by numerous factors such as factory pollution in water and air, and deforestation, many of the umbrella projects cover a variety of issues worldwide. Several nearby community service and environmental programs have partnered with the program, and gotten together in order to collectively share their voices in the march in NYC. The PCM, along with other environmental protests will take place in other major cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta.

#2: Venezuelan Government Protests

Protests began in January of 2014 after the murder of three civilians. Originally composed of mostly student protesters, it formed into protest taken part by the entirety of the Venezuelan population. After the death of President Hugo Chavez, the country was left in the hands of Nicolas Maduro which has led the country to its downfall as social and economic policies in place have no effect on the current conditions of the country. Every month of this year, there have been rallies and riots against the Venezuelan government, in protest for better safety measures to decrease crime rate as well as take care of the many other issues that plague the country. Some of these issues are the lack and shortage of basic necessities, and injustice, in terms of having the freedom of speech. The most dominant and far-reached protests were from February to June of this year. However, there are still smaller and more spread-out protests that take place in various districts of Venezuela. This has not been the first time for a massive outbreak of protests in Venezuela. The country’s authoritarian rules have fueled strong resentment towards the government, resulting in a multitude of walkouts for the past 10 years.

#3: Save Darfur Movement

Protests began in 2003 and continue today against genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) are two of the main rebel groups that opposed President Omar al-Bashir, with JEM being the most dominant recently. Several students in universities near Darfur and neighboring areas have protested within their universities to stop the the displacement and killing of their citizens. Many of these students have been arrested for their peaceful protests but also killed after police use force by shooting and using tear gas on the students. Recently, there has been an increase in violence with the Darfur Rebels. However, smaller groups like the Addis Ababa and Tripoli groups decided to take part in a cease-fire. Save Darfur Coalition, one of the main organizations attempting to eradicate the horrid conditions in Sudan, promotes activism through art and poetry spread by online resources. This “art activism” helps draw attention to the Darfur condition and eventually leads to more physical protests in Darfur and other areas as well.

#4: Hok Kolorob Movement

The new Hok Kolorob or “Let there be noise” Movement began after the sexual molestation of a female university pupil by two other engineering students at the same college. Jadavpur University students began protesting Sep. 10 in Kolkata, India to rally against sexual harassment and campus violence across India, beginning this year. This is the first movement of its kind that originated in India and has used social media as a platform for internet activism. Students from other universities took action and created a Facebook page to shed light on the events in Jadavpur. These students wanted to help others in the community be a part of the movement, and be in support of new changes made to administration regarding sexual violence in university. The movement has disseminated throughout all of India as students and employees stand together against harassment in colleges. Although there isn’t any action currently being taken to stop the violence so commonly found in college campuses, several continually push authorities to enforce measures protecting students, especially women.

#5: Occupy Central Movement

Coined as the “Umbrella Revolution” by Western media, these protests have made the news recently for the occupation of Hong Kong Government offices in China. This civil disobedience campaign was created and named Occupy Central as Chinese citizens block off roads and access to the financial hub in Hong Kong, demanding a fair electoral system. Many set up blue tents on the roads, then proceed to sit and wait until its time for their ritual rally. The pro-democracy activists petition for a freer system in the upcoming election in 2017. This new system would comply with the international standards of suffrage and give people both the right to vote, as well as the ability to be elected for office. The primary locations in Hong Kong where protesters stand up against Chinese officials are Causeway Bay and Mong Kok. The main Occupy Central Campaign protests ended on Dec. 3, but have continued via university students demonstrating in their place. Protests on Dec. 11 taking place in Admiralty, a business hub, came to a halt as police arrested over 200 activists. In other areas like Tsim Sha Tsui, protests began and ended quickly, with only three days of protest. Despite the fear in the activists of the police bringing tear gas, or breaking their tents, students still continually to call for changes in the Chinese election procedures.