Non Violent Resistance

Non- violent resistance has been a new way to fight for injustice throughout the world. Ever since Henry Thoreau wrote his story on civil disobedience, he has given society the idea that justice can be obtained without the use of violence. He argues that the government rarely proves itself useful, and it collects it power from the majority simply because they are viewed as the strongest group. Because of his concepts in "Resistance to Civil Government," the protestors in Spain and Egypt have the ambition that unemployment and injustice will be solved soon without turmoil.

In Spain, particularly Madrid, the citizens have been protesting against the high unemployment rate that continues to increase. Thousands gather in "Madrid's central Puerta del Sol plaza" where they "[camp] out overnight" (1). They are so desperate for a job that they are willing to do anything it takes for the government to resolve the issue. Instead of going home to their families, men stay out and camp in the plaza, hoping to get the point across to the government. Society in Spain has become so atrocious that there is a "40% unemployment rate and a record 4.9 million jobless" (2). The worst part is the majority of the people are under the age of 25. The government needs to listen to what the solutions could be instead of trying to take matters into their own hands; arresting people is certainly not going to solve anything. The Spanish government has failed to "[do] what was needed, when it was needed," and because of that, society has grown angry (1). This could result in the need to overthrow the government. One man mentioned, however, "the economy and unemployment are key to the protest because that binds all of us together" (2). The Spaniards have realized that they are all in the same situation. Instead of fighting each other out of frustration, they need to form a "team" to fight the government; non- violently of course. Hopefully the issue with unemployment throughout the country of Spain will be resolved before more problems arise.

Not only were there problems in the countries of Europe, but there were plenty in the countries of Africa. The 2011 Egyptian Revolution followed an uprising that began on January 25, 2011. It took place in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities in Egypt. During the revolution, there were "a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil disobedience, and labour strikes" (1). Many protestors were demanding the overthrow of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Fortunately, no violence took place for a couple of days, but the police had to eventually arrest a few protestors. Destruction broke out, and the peaceful revolution turned into a violent one: "There were up to 840 deaths reported, and over 6,000 were injured" (1). People were getting hurt for unnecessary reasons, and the government could not find

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