Vilified by politicians, dismissed by the press and under-taught in classrooms, protest has long been sidelined in Britain’s public life. But that’s changing – and fast. A generation once told to keep quiet is beginning to ask louder questions and demand louder answers.
For many under the age of 45 in the UK, protest has always felt like something that happens elsewhere – or something that descends into chaos when it happens here. Images of burning buildings and smashed windows from the 2024 riots (and earlier, in 2011) loom large in the collective memory, leading many to associate protest with violence and disorder rather than change and accountability. But is that perception fair? And if not, how did it come to be?
Unlike in France, where protest is woven into the national identity and routinely brings the country to a standstill, protest in Britain has long been discouraged, if not completely stigmatised. This has been especially true for millennials and Gen Z, who came of age during an era where public sector strikes were portrayed as selfish and disruptive, and climate activists were dismissed as “eco-zealots” or “jobless nuisances”. The message has been relentless: protest is chaotic, extreme and ultimately pointless.
But this narrative didn’t emerge by accident.
Rich tradition of protest played down
Those under 45 have largely been denied a meaningful education in Britain’s own rich tradition of protest. From the Peterloo Massacre to the Suffragettes, and from the Chartists to the miners’ strikes, the rights we take for granted today, such as the two-day weekend and universal suffrage, weren’t handed down. They were fought for, often at great personal risk, and sometimes at the cost of lives.
Yet these stories are rarely taught in schools, nor are they given the prominence they deserve in the media. The result? A disconnect between the freedoms we enjoy and the struggles that secured them. Without that historical context, it becomes all too easy to view protest as a nuisance rather than a vital part of democracy.
‘Greedy enemies of the public’
Even peaceful demonstrations are relentlessly demonised. Nurses asking for fair pay are painted as holding the NHS to ransom. Rail workers are framed as greedy enemies of the public rather than employees fighting for dignity. Young people grow up internalising the idea that protest is illegitimate, ineffective, or simply not worth the inevitable backlash.
And the data reflects that chilling effect. According to the UK’s Community Life Survey (2023/24), civic participation varies starkly by age. Adults aged 65–74 were the most engaged (36%), while those aged 16–24 were the least (28%). But this isn’t apathy, it’s a sign of a system that has failed to nurture political confidence in younger generations. If protest is one of the louder forms of civic expression, it’s no wonder those discouraged from even the quietest forms are hesitant to take to the streets.
Yet signs of a quiet reawakening are beginning to show.
Tangible example of protest shaping politics
Just Stop Oil (JSO), often vilified on newspaper front pages for their disruptive tactics, arguably succeeded in pushing their core demand – a halt to new oil and gas licences – into official Labour Party policy. It’s a tangible example of protest directly shaping political direction. Yet the achievement has passed with little fanfare.
JSO’s decision to pause their campaign in response demonstrates a level of strategic restraint and pragmatism often ignored in mainstream coverage. In fact, you’d be forgiven for having to double-check that it even happened, such is the silence around why they stopped, compared to the noise about how they protested.
Now, a newer movement, Youth Demand, looks set to pick up where JSO left off. Organised, media-savvy, and driven by the urgency of the climate crisis, this generation of activists is bringing a new tone and energy.
Calls for accountability
They aren’t just calling for change – they’re calling for accountability. And they’re doing so with an understanding that protest can be both disruptive and constructive. Youth Demand is channelling a growing feeling among young people that the political system is failing them, and that staying silent is no longer an option.
What’s striking is how organically these movements have emerged in a culture so actively hostile to protest. They are proof that when institutions refuse to listen, people will always find ways to speak louder. And in doing so, they’re encouraging a new generation to question the stories they’ve been told about activism.
A new generation raises its voice
In the end, the demonisation of protest may have worked – for a while at least. But it hasn’t extinguished the desire for change. If anything, it’s only postponed the inevitable. As the cost of living spirals, climate disasters intensify and political promises unravel, a generation once taught to keep its head down is beginning to look up and raise its voice. And now, as eyes once again turn westward to the swelling protests against the Trump administration, the question is no longer whether people will act. It’s whether the system will listen before the streets become too loud to ignore.
