Protest as Performance

By: Matt Carona

Today I left my flat to go get lunch and when I stepped outside I saw three helicopters flying overhead. They were hovering directly over Bloomsbury Street and I noticed that there were policemen riding horses through the area. I still had no clue what was going on so I asked someone next to me and they informed me that it was an enormous student protest. I attempted to look down Bloomsbury Street to see the protesters but unfortunately the policemen and the other observers blocked my sight. Finally, I was able to see signs in the distance moving up and down and at the same time I could hear distant chants from the students. I realized how large of a protest this was going to be. Figuring that a protest could be viewed as a performance event, which I could write about for this assignment, I ran back to my flat to grab my camera. As I made my way back towards Bloomsbury Street I was able to catch the very beginning of the protest line. The most prevalent aspect of the protest had to be the noise. The people involved were yelling, singing, and even playing a wide array of musical instruments. Alongside of whistles, the primary musical instruments being played were percussion. There were bongos, snare drums, and homemade percussion instruments of all sorts. As the protest line moved through I noticed that each section had one person with a megaphone. They would yell out a specific rhythmic chant and the people behind them would repeat the same rhythm however the lyrics would be different. Being that there was so much activity, I started to view the protest as multiple different performances all combined together. One very interesting group of protestors would hold up the line, wait until space cleared in front of them, and then charge forward screaming at the top of their lungs. Although the majority of people were normally dressed, a good amount of protestors were wearing costumes or masks to portray a message. The people wearing costumes were usually in a group of ten to twenty and they would all march to the same rhythm. In an odd way the policemen even made the protest seem more theatrical because the way in which they blocked off the street enhanced the separation of the audience from the stage. I continued to follow the protestors towards New Oxford Street and when I reached the intersection I noticed New Oxford was deserted. Being that this is usually one of the busiest streets, it was so strange not seeing one automobile in sight. It enhanced the importance of the protest because it created the sense that this section of London had stopped and put all of their attention towards the demonstration. After watching this protest for half an hour I realized this is one of the most theatrical events I have witnessed in London. Unlike normal theater where the performance is limited to the stage, these protestors freely moved throughout London allowing their audience to be exponentially greater.  

New Oxford Street