2019: A year of protests, everywhere!

Protests erupted across Hong Kong in June over the introduction of a bill to allow the extradition of fugitives to mainland China. The bill was withdrawn in September, but months later, protesters are still demanding full democracy for the territory and an inquiry into police violence. The rallies have regularly turned ugly and security forces have been accused of being too heavy-handed.

The sheer size of the protest movement has put Hong Kong and Beijing's leaders on the back foot, amid accusations that China is undermining the territory's special status under the "one country, two systems" agreement. On occasions, more than a million people poured into the streets. Local elections in November saw a huge landslide for the pro-democracy camp.

Within months of schoolgirl Greta Thunberg's solo climate change protest outside the Swedish parliament, a new youth activist movement had grown into the millions. The Fridays for Future protests have unleashed more than 4,500 strikes across over 150 countries, including Germany. Thunberg's straightforward approach is credited with forcing several governments to declare a climate crisis.

India's Parliament passed legislation this month that offers amnesty to non-Muslim undocumented immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The move prompted nationwide protests complaining that the law discriminates on the basis of religion. Prime Minister Modi insisted the bill offers sanctuary to people fleeing persecution but many fear it will render Muslim immigrants stateless.

In October, Iraqis poured onto the streets to protest against corruption, unemployment and Iran's influence on the country's government. The demonstrations quickly turned violent, with some 460 people killed and 25,000 injured. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced his resignation, fueling further anger over efforts to install an interim leadership, which protesters say is more of the same.

Lebanon saw a similar outpouring of anger in October over plans to hike taxes on gasoline, tobacco and even WhatsApp phone calls. The protests quickly morphed into a wider condemnation of endemic state corruption and falling living standards. Despite Prime Minister Saad Hariri stepping down, protest leaders refused to meet with his interim successor and are demanding an establishment overhaul.

In November, Tehran was widely denounced for its crackdown on protests that erupted over fuel rationing and a 50% gasoline price hike. More than 200,000 people poured onto the streets of several cities and quickly turned riotous, prompting a strong response. The US State Department says more than one thousand people were killed during the bloodiest period in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Months of civil disobedience led to the overthrow of Sudan's longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April and threw the northeastern African country into a political crisis. Military and pro-democracy parties have since been fighting to secure power. Dozens of people were killed in the unrest. In August, the two sides signed a constitutional declaration to form a transitional government.

Protests in Chile began just over two months ago, sparked by tensions over the country's political and economic system. Protesters are demanding an overhaul of the health, pension and education systems. Several Latin American nations saw similar protests in 2019, including Bolivia, Honduras and Venezuela, where attempts to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro peaked in May.

France's yellow vest movement has proved a constant thorn in President Emmanuel Macron's side. The movement originated at the end of 2018 when drivers from rural areas complained about a planned fuel tax. It then morphed into a catch-all banner for very disparate groups of disaffected voters. By December, French unions were striking and on the streets again, this time over pension reforms.

After nine Catalan separatist leaders were jailed by Spain's Supreme Court, a new wave of anger erupted, paralyzing the regional capital, Barcelona. Protests — which at one point involved half a million people — turned violent for six nights in a row. The general strike and accompanying unrest stopped transport and car production, even forcing the postponement of a Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match.