Protests against responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
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.[23] 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.[30] 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".[citation needed] 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.[39][40] 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.[43][44][45][46][47][excessive citations] 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.[49] 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.[51][52] Following announcement of quarantine measures, videos of hospital staff in Atyrau protesting against new rules were spread on social media in April 2020, resulting in reporting journalists being detained.[58] On 17 July, demonstrations occurred throughout the cities, where in Pavlodar hundred people gathered at the central square which was dispersed by security forces with detainees being pushed into police vans and some managing to flee the area.[61] On 31 July 2021, hundreds of protesters attempted to gather in Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin over his and the Malaysian government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.[67][68] On 12 June 2020, hundreds of protesters gathering in the capital city Kathmandu, demanding better quarantine facilities, more tests and transparency in the purchase of medical supplies to fight the crisis.[75] In May 2020, journalists and individuals protested the cease and desist order that led to the shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN, a move that jeopardized more than 11,000 jobs and prevented the broadcast of vital information about the pandemic.[79] On 30 August, 1 September and 24 November 2021,[80] health workers from various hospitals in Metro Manila held a protest at the DOH headquarters over nonpayment of their salaries and benefits and demanding Duque (and Duterte) to resign over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.The protesters, organised under the name Free Youth (Thai: เยาวชนปลดแอก; yaowachon plod aek), announced three demands: dissolution of the House, stop threatening the people and drafting of a new constitution.The situation erupted after two COVID-19 cases; an Egyptian soldier in Rayong Province, and a Sudanese diplomat's daughter in Asok neighbourhood of Bangkok, were tested positive earlier on 15 July.A day later, Vietnamese netizens spread images of police forces and militiamen using sticks to beat protesters in Binh Duong with the purpose of breaking the gate to return to their hometown.[90] In mid-October, after the dogs of a household in Ca Mau province were culled due to suspicion of being infected with the COVID-19 virus, there were many online calls for people to protest against the anti pandemic policies from the government.[citation needed] On 6 April 2021, anti-governmental protests "Fight for Life" were held by a group of citizens and activists in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo in front of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Federal Government, seeking resignations from Chairman of the Council of Ministers Zoran Tegeltija and Federal Prime Minister Fadil Novalić, due to lack of leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina and late procurement of COVID-19 vaccines for the country.[106][107][108] The Paris suburb Villeneuve-la-Garenne saw riots in April 2020, partly about the strains of the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown on working-class families, often immigrants, who live in small apartments in crowded public housing buildings.[110] Marine Le Pen, challenger of Macron in the 2022 French presidential election, immediately condemned the vaccination obligation as "indecent insolence" attesting of "ingratitude" towards the health care workers.[citation needed] The far-right Our Homeland Movement organised protests against lockdown measures on 15 March 2021,[131] and against vaccine mandates (a "Covid Dictatorship") throughout December 2021 in various Hungarian cities.[149] Some protesters at the event used their social media to post videos about their demands against the lockdown, with one stating; "Today, under the pretext of the coronavirus, which doesn't exist, people are driven into slavery, they are trying to establish total control over us all.[176][177] On the weekend of 24–25 July 2021, protests broke out again in several major cities in the United Kingdom including London,[178] Leeds,[179] Manchester[180] and Birmingham due to people opposing vaccines and proposed COVID passports.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time to quell the unrest from the occupation and harassment of Ottawa and its citizens by hundreds of trucks, their drivers and thousands of unruly protesters.[240] Throughout 2020 and 2021, numerous illegal protests of widely varying sizes against COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and the Australian Federal Government's vaccination programme were held in several state capitals including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.[256] In October 2021, several protests against a proposed law mandating COVID-19 vaccines were held throughout French Polynesia including Papeete in Tahiti and Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands.[263][264][265][266] In January 2021, Te Kahika led a "freedom rally" outside the New Zealand Parliament; protestors opposed lockdown policies, while expressing support for US President Donald Trump and QAnon.This incident, and the murder of Fabián Gutiérrez, who was ex-president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's secretary while she was in office, which many opposition affiliates believe was orchestrated by the administration and covered up as a "crime of passion" by two unknown men, also caused large outrage in some sectors of the population.This manifestation was backed by many political figures from the Juntos por el Cambio, Frente Despertar, Fuerza Unidaria Argentina, opposition forces, near liberal, libertarian and survivalist groups."[284] On 19 April, Brazil's Armed Forces Day, Bolsonaro gathered with about 600 protesters in front of the Army's headquarters in Brasilia to demand a "military intervention" into the handling of the coronavirus situation.
COVID-19 pandemicCOVID-19 misinformationCOVID-19 misinformation by governmentslockdownQueen's ParkTorontoCOVID-19 lockdownsmask mandatesvaccine mandatesMass protestsCivil unrestVandalismOccupationsCOVID-19 conspiracy theoristsfar rightTedros Adhanom GhebreyesusCOVID-19SARS-CoV-2DeathsTimelineJanuaryresponsesFebruaryAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberLocationsBy country and territoryAfricaAntarcticaEuropeNorth AmericaOceaniaSouth AmericaCruise shipsNaval shipsEndemic phaseEvacuationsFace masksInternational aidOriginLockdownsby countryMisinformationby governmentsFake treatmentsSocial distancingSoftwareTravelUnited NationsWorld Health OrganizationWTO IP waiverUndercounting of deathsCOVID-19 appsZero-COVIDNational responsesEuropean UnionGermanyIrelandNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaPhilippinesRussiaSwedengovernmentfederal governmentVietnamDisease testingBreathalyzerDevelopmentDrug developmentDrug repurposingPublic health mitigationVaccinesHistoryResearchDeploymentAuthorizationsOperation Warp SpeedMisinformation and hesitancyVaccine cardVaccine passportsCoronaVacCovaxinConvideciaJanssenMedigenModernaNovavaxOxford–AstraZenecaPfizer–BioNTechSinopharm BIBPSputnik VVariantsVariants of concernOmicronEpsilonLambdaCluster 5Lineage B.1.617Economic impactrecessionArts and cultureAviationCannabisCinemaDisneyFashionFinancial marketsFood industryFood securityJournalismPerforming artsRetailTelevisionsportscastingprogramsTourismVideo gamesCanadaMalaysiaBy sportAssociation football