It is a discussion that regularly flares up in times of widespread protests, including during the pro-Palestine student demonstrations at universities. To what extent does protesting make sense? “It always makes sense, even if your protest does not directly achieve an effect”, Quartier explains. “Indeed, in retrospect, it often turns out that many protests were indirectly useful after all. This is due to the power of their rituals. Take, for example, demonstrations in the former East Germany. People there took to the streets en masse with candles in their hands, also known as 'light chains' (called 'Lichterketten' in German). In doing so, they expressed their desire for freedom symbolically. Thus, the slogan 'We are the people' was born. This seemed like a pointless action at first, but it eventually led to societal upheaval.”
A complex reality
According to Quartier, there is value in looking at protests differently. “It is never black and white in this regard”, he contends. “You don't do protests justice by only measuring them by the question: are they successful or not? People who protest are keen to initiate change, although they often also realise that they will not achieve total upheaval immediately because the reality is more complex. However, they support an ideal and feel that it is important to express it. They then express this symbolically, even though they may not agree 100% with all the views of a protest group. But doing nothing is not an option either: then everything will remain as it is. Their protesting is thus the expression of a utopian voice.”
Testing ground for society
Quartier stresses the importance of being able to express one’s ideals, especially also for students at universities. “It is a great thing within academia to provide space for students to pursue their utopian ideals through protests. And protests may also cause friction, if that helps to convey a point of view more clearly. Encampments have a symbolic function in the current student protests: occupying space, then making new space on campus for a message. The goal is to help to create debate. This has a rightful place at universities, which have the responsibility to be a testing ground for society. From that point of view, this requires university administrators not to impose too tight restrictions when protests are carried out. And for students, it is important to keep the discourse symbolic and not cross the boundary into violence and destruction. So, I personally regret that the protests at several universities went awry in that regard – I still wonder why. One thing is clear: violence always provokes counter-violence, from both sides.”
Shaky balance
Looking at all the current protests around the world, Quartier sees that symbols and rituals are becoming increasingly important. Yet he says there is also a risk in this. “The danger is that form starts to overpower content. Take the climate protests as an example: people only see the chained demonstrators on the motorway and no longer know exactly what the purpose behind this is.” The underlying purpose can also lose momentum due to group formation, he stresses. “When protesting in a group, you step outside the usual order and form a community, together with others. Whether everyone has the same motives is not clear beforehand. There is nothing wrong with that, by the way; you see it in all forms of societal protests, including student demonstrations. The challenge, though, is to reach a consensus with each other and choose a form of protest that is not out of bounds. The latter is and remains a shaky balance.”
Quartier notes that many protests reach a prolonged stalemate because the demanding and ruling parties cannot come to terms. Therefore, he believes that every protest should ideally lead to a performative final chord that initiates constructive dialogue. “This requires administrators to take protests seriously and to propose other solutions, rather than setting up yet another committee. And for protesters, it is important to stay within the boundaries and not overstep them, otherwise you contradict your own ideals. Be mindful that reality may be more complicated in practice than it appears beforehand and be prepared to acknowledge the other party's efforts. In other words, listen to each other and give each other space.”