Title: History of Student Protests - HISTORY
Headings: History of Student Protests
History of Student Protests
Contents
Tiananmen Square
Kent State
White Rose Society of Nazi Germany
Velvet Revolution of 1989
Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Protests
Soweto Uprising
Sources
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Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Protests
Hong Kong’s “Umbrella Revolution” began on September 22, 2014, as thousands of students—most wearing a yellow ribbon—boycotted classes in support of full democratic elections and descended on the campus of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. As the protests gained momentum, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens joined in. Over the next several weeks, marchers forced streets, banks and other businesses to close. During the demonstrations, police often used pepper spray and tear gas to control and disperse crowds. The protestors stood firm, however, and opened their umbrellas to protect them from the dangerous mists, turning the umbrella into a powerful symbol of their struggle. The often-violent protests lasted almost three months and eventually fizzled out without the protestors’ demand for universal suffrage being met. Still, the movement inspired an unprecedented interest in democracy and political activism within Hong Kong. pinterest-pin-it
High-school students in Soweto, South Africa, protesting for better education, 1976. Bongani Mnguni/City Press/Gallo Images/Getty Images
Soweto Uprising
On June 16, 1976, thousands of high school students in Soweto, South Africa, protested peacefully against apartheid and the Bantu Education Act, which severely limited educational opportunities to black students and decreased education quality. As the students headed towards a soccer stadium, police tried to disperse them with tear gas and warning gunshots.