Work

When Topics of Protest and Counter-Protest Diverge: Asymmetrical Issue Contestation in Left-Right Street Confrontations

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Works on protest counter-protest dynamics tend to assume that protesters and counter-protesters make competing claims about the same issue. This paper challenges this basic assumption. Based on an original dataset on local protests in Germany, it demonstrates that events that trigger a counter-protest and the response event, that is, the counter-protest, differ significantly in the issues they address. While a range of issues elicit counter-protests, the response events generally mobilize around anti-far-right claims, even if the initial protest does not explicitly advance fascism/racism issues. We argue that the observed asymmetry results from the way counter-protests have historically emerged as a specific repertoire used by left-wing actors to oppose fascist/racist groups and claims.

Source: American Behavioral Scientist

DOI: 10.1177/00027642251379625

Authors: Larissa Daria Meier, Jan Matti Dollbaum, Priska Daphi, Sebastian Haunss

Institutions: Trinity College Dublin, University of Fribourg, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, University of Bremen

Language: English

Topic: Populism, Right-Wing Movements

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650