Protests in Slovakia, Georgia and Serbia stem from different causes, but reflect broader political frustration and often inspire one another
There have been large protest waves globally and in Europe over the decades. The last one occurred in the early 2010s and became known in the Middle East as the Arab Spring, but also took place in Europe – from protests in Istanbul over Gezi Park to the Indignados protests in Spain. At the core of these protests was the rejection of neoliberal economic policies in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and the destruction of shared urban spaces, including We Won’t Give Varšavska in Zagreb.
There is currently broader dissatisfaction with incumbents across many countries, due to the sense that political elites are unable to address existing challenges. This dissatisfaction manifests itself in the electoral success of far-right and populist parties in established democracies and protests elsewhere.
Growing dissatisfaction with political elites’ failure to address challenges fuels far-right and populist gains in democracies and sparks protests in other regions
We are currently witnessing mass protests in Georgia, Serbia and Slovakia against governments that many citizens see as corrupt and autocratic. While it is too early to speak of a broader wave, this shows two things. First, despite the crisis of liberal democracy and the success of far-right and populist parties, including in the U.S., Austria and elsewhere, citizens of many countries are concerned about domestic autocratic trends. This has been a recurring theme over the past decade.
We have seen the rise of what academics call competitive authoritarian regimes, such as in Hungary and Turkey, which are democracies on paper, but which favour the ruling party in practise. Such regimes rely on the perception that they have widespread support, and can thus be sent into crisis by mass protests. The cause of these protests might differ – from pro-Russian policies in Slovakia, the ending of EU accession talks and election fraud in Georgia, to the tragic accident in Novi Sad in Serbia – but in all cases the protests speak to a broader frustration with the political system. Second, we can observe this from earlier protest waves; these protests inspire each other. Citizens see protests in other countries and take ideas, courage and strategies from them, so they can communicate with each other.
