It has been a year of major protests and unrest, illustrative of the staying power of many movements and the increasing grievances about those in power.

In a year that’s seen the government add disturbing amendments to the policing bill that threatens the right to protest and puts the nation on the path to autocracy, 2021 has fuelled new movements and powerful protests, with people using their voices to stand up for their rights and beliefs.

From climate change to ending police harassment, we look at 10 of the most prominent protest campaigns that have defined 2021.

1. Kill the Bill protests

On March 16, British lawmakers allowed a controversial new policing bill to proceed to the next stage of Parliamentary debate.

The motion triggered thousands of campaigners to gather in cities across the UK to protest the Police, Crime and Sentencing Bill, which would change how protests are policed. The new bill would mean permission has to be granted in advance of protests. Campaigners could also be fined if they go ahead with a protest without permission.

Opponents of the bill say its vague wording could be used to stamp out any and all dissent.

Following a major Kill the Bill protest on March 21, subsequent Kill the Bill protests took place across the country throughout the year, with Bristol being the hub of the campaign.

On the last bank holiday weekend in May, more than 30 Kill the Bill protests were organised across the UK.

A fresh protest took place on December 8 in London and Birmingham to coincide with the bill starting its next stage n the House of Lords.

2. End female harassment campaign sparked by Sarah Everard killing

The shocking murder of Sarah Everard in London in March prompted thousands of women to share stories of how they had been harassed in the streets or on public transport.

Campaigners questioned how the 33-year-old came to be kidnapped and killed as she walked home on a busy city road.

The outpouring of grief, concern and shared stories, prompted the Home Office to reopen a public consultation of tackling violence against women and girls.

3. More protests against controversial bill sparked by Everard murder

The ‘Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill’ was brought into the spotlight following the murder of Sarah Everard. It became the focal point in protests in London after police officers employed heavy-handed methods to break up a Sarah Everard vigil.

Demonstrators gathered outside the House of Commons while the bill was being debated, chanting “Kill the Bill.”

4. Black Lives Matter marks anniversary of George Floyd’s death

To commemorate a year since the death of George Floyd, anti-racism campaigners from Stand Up To Racism, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, gathered outside the US embassy in London.

The activists chanted: “No justice, no peace, no racist police” before a number of speeches were made on “systemic racism which exists in the UK.”

The action was one of a fresh crop of peaceful protests across the UK to mark the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder.

5. Glasgow’s Kenmure Street protest

In May, hundreds of locals and protestors joined forces to halt an attempt by the Home Office to detain two Sikh men of Indian origin.

Following a stand-off between protestors and police, the demonstration successfully forced the release of Lakhvir Singh and Sumit Sehdev, who were detained in a van for eight hours by UK Immigration Enforcement

The protest has been hailed as “one of the biggest demonstrations of civic defiance seen in the UK in recent history by Third Sector.” The protest has been named one of the world’s 2021 demonstrations that ‘made a difference.

6. G7 Summit protests

As world leaders gathered for the G7 Summit in Cornwall in the summer to discuss the planet’s biggest issues, they were met by a wave of protest.

Extinction Rebellion activists marched through Falmouth to raise awareness of the climate emergency. Members of the resist G7 coalition gathered in Hayle to highlight what they described as the global inequality at the heart of the G7. Campaigners raised awareness of the victims of the wars in Yemen, Palestine, Kashmir and other destitute countries, as animal rights campaigners occupied a McDonald’s in the region demanding the fast food chain transitions to an entirely plant-based menu.

A spokesperson for RG7 commented: “We are linking international struggles on this day of action, and we are bringing attention to the struggles of silenced voices across the world.

7. IWGB launches #ShameOnOcado campaign

In September, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) launched the #ShameOnOcado campaign.

The campaign is in recognition of Ocado’s BAME workforce who served as key workers through the pandemic but are now being ignored and threatened with the prospect of job losses after whistleblowing over £5/hr poverty pay and 70% pay cuts.

IWGB is demanding that Ocado fully in-house all drivers and riders and meet demands for fair pay and working conditions.

8. Youth activists protest against climate change at COP26

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November saw tens of thousands of protestors gather in the rain in Glasgow demanding more urgent and meaningful action by world leaders in response to global warming.

The campaigners were from a UK-based network of environmental groups and non-governmental organisations.

An inflatable cow floated above the procession which made its way through the city’s streets, highlighting the need to tackle emissions of super warming methane gas.

9. Global civil society representative walk out of COP26

COP26 also saw hundreds of global civil society representatives walk out of the convention centre. Carrying blood-red ribbons to represent the critical lines already crossed by COP negotiations, the protestors were made up of indigenous people, representatives of farmers and environmental NGOs.

“Cop26 is a performance,” the Indigenous activist Ta’Kaiya Blaney of the Tla A’min Nation told the meeting before the walkout. “It is an illusion constructed to save the capitalist economy rooted in resource extraction and colonialism. I didn’t come here to fix the agenda – I came here to disrupt it.”

10. Make Amazon Pay’: Protestors hit Amazon buildings on Black Friday

As the Black Friday sales bonanza got underway, protestors scaled Amazon buildings in the UK, Europe and the US.

The “Make Amazon Pay” day of action was made up of an international coalition of unions, equality and environmental groups. The movement demanded Amazon makes changes to its business, including improving pay for workers, engagement with unions and to end union engagement.

In separate protests targeted at the retail giant, Extinction Rebellion occupied 13 UK Amazon distribution centres, blocking the entrances using bamboo structures, banners and lock-ons.

The group said the protests were to draw attention to the alleged exploitation of Amazon workers and the company’s wasteful business practices.

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward.

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