The difference between a protest and a demonstration

from Meetup with Audrey & Glen Below is a quote from Audrey Tang talking about the difference between "protest" and "demonstration" and a brief explanation of it.

Audrey's statement (original in English)

“Protesting is when you’re against something — we’re against air pollution. Demonstrating is to show — this is how you measure air pollution, right? So, have the mentality of a demonstrator means that people in the government, or people who are bridges between the civil society and the government, have something to bridge into. But if you only protest and not demo, then there’s nothing to bridge into.” (Japanese translation) A protest is to oppose something." --- A protest is to oppose something: "We oppose air pollution," for example. A demonstration is a concrete demonstration --- "This is how we measure air pollution. So, to be prepared to be a demonstrator means to help the government, or those who connect the government with civil society, to seize the "opportunity to cooperate". If all you do is protest and not demonstrate, then you have nothing to bridge the gap.

explanation

• Protest" is an action to "oppose something
  • E.g., "I oppose air pollution," etc. The focus is on speaking out against government and society, saying "I don't like it" or "Stop it".
• Demonstration" is an action that "presents a solution or concrete method.
  • Example: "Let's measure air pollution this way and implement remedial measures together," indicating a means to "do this," rather than just the opposite.

Audrey says, "It is difficult to build a bridge between government and society if you just protest. While expressing opposition is important in itself, it alone does not lead to constructive dialogue and collaboration, as the administration does not know "what exactly to do" even if it wants to cooperate.

On the other hand, "Demonstrating solutions in concrete terms will also give governments and bridge-builders a foothold for collaboration. In other words, if we go one step further from opposition and actually do something or propose a method that uses technology and data, the government will be more inclined to "try it together," and society as a whole will be more likely to promote solutions to problems.

summary

• Protest = "I am against ________! Protest = to raise one's voice
• Demonstration = "We can solve the problem by doing this specifically" by showing the means/methods and demonstrating with actions. Audrey emphasized that "Demonstrating" concrete ways to show the administration how to do things, rather than simply shouting opposition, can be a catalyst for cooperation.

supplement

• In Japan, I think the word "demonstration" tends to be associated with "protest" by non-engineers.
  • "Against!" and parade through the streets shouting "Against!
• I think there's also recognition on the part of engineers of the meaning of "specifically indicate."
  • For example, the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPSJ) holds an event called "Mitou Demo Day", which is not a protest, but rather a debriefing session on the results of the "Unexplored Project".

This page is auto-translated from /nishio/抗議とデモの違い using DeepL. If you looks something interesting but the auto-translated English is not good enough to understand it, feel free to let me know at @nishio_en. I'm very happy to spread my thought to non-Japanese readers.