Something I was thinking about when I attended the Trans Bill protests…

The whole point of a protest is to get the attention of those in power, possibly by disrupting their “business as usual”.

But protest in #Delhi, the center of power in #India, has been limited to the little cage of an area near Jantar Mantar. The cage is made up of police barricades and under heavy surveillance. During protests, it is surrounded by police, ostensibly to “protect” the protestors. But - and this should be apparent to anyone with half a brain cell - what it really is is a means of cramming protestors into a position where it is easiest to suppress them.

If we can’t protest in front of government officials - and yes, that includes the fucking Parliament - then we don’t have a right to protest.

If protests can only take place in a little chicken cage, conveniently distanced from the politician’s eyes and ears, we don’t have the right to protest.

If we need the permission of courts or the police to protest, we don’t have the right to protest.

And if we don’t have the right to protest, we don’t. have. a. democracy.