Political unrest is a term that encompasses a broad range of social events, including protests, riots, strikes and other demonstrations. While the root causes of unrest can vary, severe inequality remains one of the most influential and erratic factors in global societies. Inequality has been shown to have a significant impact on people’s willingness and ability to support change.
Peaceful protests have become common around the world and can be used as a tool to expose injustice and demand accountability, and inspire people to keep fighting for a more fair future. However, they must be protected against those who are trying to silence them, as well as from the escalating use of force by police and shrinking civic spaces.
Often, protests or other forms of civil unrest are driven by underlying issues such as economic dissatisfaction and feeling marginalized. For example, the 2020 protests in Lebanon were triggered by a government plan to tax WhatsApp calls, but they were fueled by deep-rooted dissatisfaction with sectarian laws and a lack of government-provided services. Unless addressed, these underlying issues can escalate into more serious and violent protests or civil unrest political violence. Civil unrest political violence can cause bodily harm, either through accidents or as the result of altercations between protesters or law enforcement intervention. This can also have a significant economic impact, as consumers stop spending and companies lose production and sales. It is important that businesses have a civil unrest political violence response plan in place, so they can quickly and effectively respond to any incidents.
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