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The dictionary definition of a protest is “a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something”. This means that a protest is a reaction, but there are various different forms of protest ranging from violent to nonviolent. Methods of nonviolent protest include boycotts, marches, petitions, hunger strikes, demonstrations, and others. On the other hand, you have violent protest. Violent ‘protests’ don’t generally start out with the idea of achieving their goal using violence, it’s usually a nonviolent protest that escalates into violence with the police and beyond that to riots.

Extreme protests (bombings, kidnappings, hostage taking, armed resistance) are usually labelled as terrorism or revolution – the Baader Meinhof gang are a good example of extreme protest/revolution being labelled terrorism. The Baader Meinhof gang used terrorist tactics such as plane hijacking, arson, and murder to further their anti-capitalist political goals and resistance against government legislation.

Not all violent protests begin this extreme and aren’t usually premeditated or even blatantly politically motivated, some are personal with a political undertone. For example, the Tottenham riots in London began after a peaceful march demanding justice for the murder of Mark Duggan (an internal inquiry had revealed the Duggan was unarmed at the time of being shot by the police). Police officials refused to meet with the protesters (Duggan’s family were present), and a 16-year-old girl was attacked by the police.

These two actions were the catalyst that saw violent riots and looting spread across the entire country.

A famous example of a nonviolent protest is the demonstration against the Vietnam war in 1967 outside the Pentagon, orchestrated by the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. Famous images came from this protest, including the “Flower Child” photograph that shows a member of the flower power movement putting a flower on the barrel/bayonet of a military policeman’s rifle. Sadly, this demonstration on its own achieved very little but was part of a much larger political landscape putting increasing pressure on Nixon to withdraw from the Vietnam war and cut his losses.

John Pilger is an Australian journalist, writer, and filmmaker based in the UK. Pilger began his career working as a sub-editor after moving from Australia to the United Kingdom in 1962. After spending time working as a sub-editor he was transferred to the Middle East desk for Reuters. After a short stint working at Reuters, Pilger took a position at the Daily Mail where he began advancing through the hierarchy, eventually landing a job as Chief Foreign Executive – this post is what sparked Pilger’s interest in documentary. On assignment for the Daily Mirror in 1968, he witnessed the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy during his run for presidential election, part of a chain of events that led to the United States’ involvement in Southeast Asia and the Vietnam war. Pilger took a keen interest in those events.

Many of Pilger’s pieces are considered by the mainstream to be incredibly controversial for their “anti-imperialist” point of view. Often times Pilger chooses to document the plight of those considered the victim in the situation. For example, Pilger did a documentary piece called “The Quiet Mutiny” based in Vietnam in 1970. The film focuses on talking to American soldiers fighting in the front line on Vietnam who are openly opposed to the ongoing war there. The film shows a contrast between the presented image of the war effort by the press conferences and press office of the U.S. Army.

The press office of the U.S. Army insisted that the war effort in Vietnam was supported by everyone involved. This is untrue. Being one of the first televised wars, Vietnam faced massive opposition by the public and the flower power movement. As a result of this, there were many documentaries, the majority of them against the war rather than for it. This juxtaposition of opinion in filmmaking is a hallmark of Pilger’s work – always controversial, always against the grain, and always interesting. His work tends to be very personal, and relatable from a viewer’s perspective.

Pilger’s work rate continued in the same fashion for a long time, documenting conflict in countries such as Cambodia, Bangladesh, East Timor, and Biafra. This didn’t last long, as Pilger’s interests turned to his homeland of Australia and the mistreatment of the indigenous population of Australia, making a documentary called Utopia in 2013 – his most recent release. After that: America. Pilger has been a long time critic of America and its foreign policy, even going as far as to call Barack Obama a “glossy Uncle Tom who would bomb Pakistan”.

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See how Dr Asim Hussain got Admore Company through Black Mailing

See how Dr Asim Hussain got Admore Company through Black Mailing