Photo by: AP News
In the past weeks, protests have been happening all around the United States every single day. These protests are being organized for different reasons: immigration, abortion rights, gun control, and more. They have all, up to this point, been against the Trump Administration. They have also all been peaceful. Peaceful protests have been effective in enacting change.
Peaceful protests happened around the nation on April 5th, 2025, and will be happening again on April 19th, 2025. These protests, referred to as the “Hand’s Off!” protests, are being planned by organizations such as Reproductive Freedom for All. The nationwide protests are an effort to protest Elon Musk’s extensive involvement in the United States Government allowed by President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration’s disregard for democracy. There is a growing fear that democratic backsliding is happening and that something has to be done.
These fears are valid, of course, as President Trump has used undemocratic tactics and ignored court orders. President Trump did this recently when Kilmar Ábrego García was unlawfully deported, and President Trump and his administration seemingly ignored Judge Paula Xinis’ court order to provide a written plan of their efforts to get García back to the United States, they also seemingly ignored the Supreme Courts order for the Trump Administration to facilitate in García’s release (Feuer and Kavi). The complete disregard of multiple court orders shows signs of backsliding.
The Hand’s Off! Protests are a direct response to Trump and his administration. This brings up a question: Will peaceful protests work? The answer to this question is very simple. Yes. Stephan and Chenoweth state:
“Our findings show that major nonviolent campaigns have achieved success 53 percent of the time, compared with 26 percent for violent resistance campaigns. There are two reasons for this success. First, a campaign’s commitment to nonviolent methods enhances its domestic and international legitimacy and encourages more broad-based participation in the resistance, which translates into increased pressure being brought to bear on the target” (Chenoweth and Stephan 8-9).
Stephan and Chenoweth found that nonviolent campaigns are more successful than violent ones they have many reasons for this. One reason is that more people are willing to learn about what the protests are for and more willing to get involved in the protests and campaigns when they are peaceful. Another reason is that when protests are not violent, the government is less likely to use violent measures to stop them. When the government is not given a reason to be violent, they are not able to justify their violence, which can cause an uproar and bring negative attention to their methods. This happened recently in Boston during a pro-Palestinian campout near Emerson College where police used violence and unnecessary force to remove the protesters from their peaceful campout.
Peaceful protests are effective in bringing awareness to the problems at hand as well as shifting soft-liners’ positions. “Protests can provoke a split between these groups, peeling away government officials who might otherwise back the incumbent’s refusal to cede power” (Blair and Rosenzweig). The division of hard-liners and soft-liners is incredibly important. Soft-liners pay attention to the public and can be influenced and pressured into not backing Trump and his administration. Peaceful protests like the Hand’s Off! Protests bring positive attention and draw in more support from the public. Blair and Rosenzweig say the following about protests: They can convey popular opinion to the courts and other institutions, potentially swaying judicial decisions. They can also generate broader sympathy for the movement, especially when conducted peacefully. Peaceful protests are more than just people going out on the street with signs and chanting things. They can influence others and sway the opinion of government officials to enact change. They gain media attention and apply public pressure, which is necessary for change.
Works Cited
Blair, Robert, and Steven Rosenzweig. “Get Ready to Protest like Democracy Depends on It – the Boston Globe.” BostonGlobe.Com, The Boston Globe, 23 Oct. 2020, www.bostonglobe.com/2020/10/21/opinion/get-ready-protest-like-democracy-depends-i.
Chenoweth, Erica, and Maria J. Stephan. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. Columbia University Press, 2011. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/chen15682.
deJong, Jenna, and Nick Mordowanec. “List of Cities Hosting Nationwide Anti-Trump Protests on Saturday, April 19.” Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025, www.newsweek.com/anti-trump-protest-locations-list-map-april-19-50501-2059609.
Feuer, Alan, and Aishvarya Kavi. “Trump Officials Continue Defiant Stance on Seeking Return of Deported Man – The New York Times.” The New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/us-maryland-man-deportation-delay.html.
“Join Hands off! A National Day of Action on April 5.” Reproductive Freedom for All, 1 Apr. 2025, reproductivefreedomforall.org/resources/join-hands-off-a-national-day-of-action-on-april-5/.
Toole, Mike, and Penny Kmitt. “Emerson College Protests Broken up by Boston Police, 108 Arrested at pro-Palestinian Camp, 4 Officers Hurt.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 25 Apr. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/emerson-college-protests-arrests-boston-police-pro-palestinian-camp/.
This is such a well-organized and powerful reflection on the role of peaceful protest in protecting democracy. The points from Chenoweth and Stephan, and Blair and Rosenzweig, were super effective in showing that protest isn’t just symbolic, it’s strategic. The connection you made between peaceful action and shifting soft-liners’ positions is so important right now. Thank you for breaking this down in such a clear.
Hi Vanessa! This post is great and shows how peaceful protest still hold power, even in a political climate that can be increasingly hostile to democratic norms. The point about Trump’s disregard for judicial authority is a clear signal of democratic backsliding. Also, bringing up the Boston police response to pro-Palestinian demonstrators was powerful as it shows how peaceful protest can highlight government overreach when it happens.
Hi Vanessa, I really enjoyed your piece! I appreciate that you provided specific examples to demonstrate Donald Trump’s undemocratic actions, as you made the necessity for peaceful protests, such as the Hand’s Off! Protests, incredibly clear. I agree: the Trump administration’s blatant ignoring of various court orders demonstrates detrimental democratic backsliding, especially considering the importance of the judiciary as a check on executive power. By weakening checks and balances, we slide closer to authoritarianism, which is very scary to think about. That is why I appreciate your discussion of the necessity and success of peaceful protests. Democratic backsliding in the United States is an incredibly timely issue and witnessing blatant undemocratic acts every day is very disheartening. However, understanding that peaceful protests are happening (especially so close to us) and are effective in achieving change provides hope in a, frankly, unhopeful time.
Hi Vanessa, I appreciate your commentary on the peaceful protests’ powerful role in changing public perceptions about certain movements. I think that the “Hands Off” movement is incredibly symbolic and a great avenue for constituents to express their discontent with the government. I hope to see these movements pay off by the next election cycle, and this way we can return to a government that is responsive to the public will and isn’t prioritizing certain actors’ interests over the populace.