The Pandemic is a battlefield. Social movements in the COVID-19 lockdown

ABSTRACT

This article examines ways in which social movements have been impacted and responded in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March and May 2020, lockdown measures put a halt to mass protests for democracy, and the virus spread became the only political focus and news headline. Far from disappearing, social movements have adapted to unexpected circumstances and been particularly active during this challenging period. The first section of the article provides an overview of grassroots movements initiatives to complete five roles. The second section focuses on the struggle over the meaning of the crisis. While progressive intellectuals and movements consider the COVID-19 pandemic opened opportunities to build a fairer world, they compete with reactionary, capitalist and state actors to shape the meaning of the crisis and the world that may come out of it. The intensity of social justice movements’ initiatives during the lockdown may show the outlines of a global wave of movements, embodied in countless decentralized reactions to a global event that affected has shaken billions of human lives.

KEYWORDS:

• Social movements
• coronavirus
• COVID-19
• solidarity
• democracy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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2 Garton Ash, T., & Zimmermann, A. (2020, May 6). In Crisis, Europeans Support Radical Positions, Eupinion brief. https://eupinions.eu/de/text/in-crisis-europeans-support-radical-positions

3 Hungarian Helsinki Committee. (2020, March 31). Emergency Law Gives Carte Blanche Powers to Government. www.helsinki.hu/en/emergency-law-gives-carte-blanche-powers-to-government

4 A range of other movements were very active in the period before the COVID-19 outbreak and maintained some activities during the lockdown, including the environmental movements, youth ‘Fridays for Climate’ and the feminist movements.

5 Lundi Matin (2020, May 24). Agir contre la réintoxication du monde. (No 243). https://lundi.am/Agir-contre-la-reintoxication-du-monde

6 Davidson, H. (2020, May 26). China’s military says it is prepared to protect security in Hong Kong, as protests grow. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/26/chinas-military-says-it-is-prepared-to-protect-security-in-hong-kong-as-protests-grow

7 (2020, May 25). Desafían al Gobierno y al COVID-19 para protestar. El Heraldo. https://www.elheraldo.com.ec/desafian-al-gobierno-y-al-covid-19-para-protestar/

8 Combs, R. (2020, April 14). Covid-19 has workers striking. Where are the unions? Bloomberg Law Analysis. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bloomberg-law-analysis/analysis-covid-19-has-workers-striking-where-are-the-unions?fbclid=IwAR03VFO75BoVjgHGweV0×156uf4vkGlz6H1RZ8qJRDciVSzayus8pgiNoBs

9 Sainato, M. (2020, May 19). Strikes erupt as US essential workers demand protection amid pandemic. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/19/strikes-erupt-us-essential-workers-demand-better-protection-amid-pandemic

10 Evelyn, K. (2020, March 31). Amazon workers walk out over lack of protective gear amid coronavirus. The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/30/amazon-workers-strike-coronavirus

11 Rédaction Le Soir (2020, April 1). Les grèves dans les supermarchés pourraient faire tâche d’huile. Le Soir. https://plus.lesoir.be/291594/article/2020-04-01/les-greves-dans-les-supermarches-pourraient-faire-tache-dhuile

12 www.tdu.org/chicago_local_705_members_vote_on_using_strike_fund_for_h_w_in_crisis

13 Guimarães, J. (2020, May 21). Segunda maior favela de SP faz autogestão para combater a Covid-19. Alma Preta. https://almapreta.com/editorias/realidade/segunda-maior-favela-de-sp-faz-autogestao-para-combater-a-covid-19

14 Langlois, J. (2020, May 1). Paulo’s favelas are running out of food. These women are stepping in. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/05/coronavirus-brazil-sao-paulo-favelas-running-out-of-food-women-stepping-in/

15 ‘Occupy Alemão’ surged in 2013, inspired by Occupy Wall Street and with the aim to foster solidarity and social change in the favela complex.

16 Ribeiro, G. (2020, March 22). Coronavírus: Comunidades criam gabinetes de crise e usam funk para ajudar na prevenção. Globo Extra. https://extra.globo.com/noticias/rio/coronavirus-comunidades-criam-gabinetes-de-crise-usam-funk-para-ajudar-na-prevencao-24321336.html

17 https://covidmutualaid.org/local-groups/

18 An activist from ‘Ayuda Mutua Ciudad de México’ (Mutual Aid Mexico City), Webinar ‘Viralizar la solidaridad’, 21 May 2020.

19 https://covidmutualaid.org/faq/

20 See for instance ATTAC-France petition for a fairer tax system to fund the covid-relief and public services https://france.attac.org/se-mobiliser/que-faire-face-au-coronavirus/article/petition-plus-jamais-ca-signons-pour-le-jour-d-apres

21 https://solidaires.org/La-colere-des-quartiers-populaires-est-legitime

22 For example, Surviving the Virus: An Anarchist Guide, see Gravante and Poma, 2020.

23 Santiago R. (2020, March 25). Na pandemia, descaso do governo impacta mais a favela. Ponte Jornalismo. https://ponte.org/raull-santiago-na-pandemia-descaso-do-governo-impacta-mais-a-favela

24 Redação Jornal de Brasília. (2020, March 25). Criatividade e união ajudam favelas no combate ao novo coronavírus. https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/brasil/criatividade-e-uniao-ajudam-favelas-no-combate-ao-novo-coronavirus/

25 Mareaonline.org.br

26 www.viralopenspace.net

27 Hirsch, A. (2020, May 7). After coronavirus, black and brown people must be at the heart of Britain’s story, The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/07/coronavirus-black-brown-people-britain-ethnic-minorities

28 Montserat Sagot, Online seminar ‘Coronavirus y disputas por lo público y lo común en América Latina’, CLACSO, ALAS and ISA, April 2020. https://youtu.be/pOFQlsesLf8

29 https://systemicalternatives.org/2020/04/29/global-dialogue-for-systemic-change

30 ‘Coronavirus y disputas por lo público y lo común en América Latina’, Online seminar organized by CLACSO, ALAS and ISA, 9 April 2020. https://youtu.be/pOFQlsesLf8

31 Emmanuel Macron first public address on the virus was entitled ‘A united France is our best asset in the troubled period we're going through with COVID-19. We will make it. All together’. https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2020/03/12/adresse-aux-francais

32 Roy, A. (2020, April 3). Arundhati Roy: ‘The pandemic is a portal’, Financial Times. www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca

33 Mauduit, L. (2020, April 12). Retraites, hôpital: la troublante conversion d’Emmanuel Macron. Mediapart. https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/120420/retraites-hopital-la-troublante-conversion-d-emmanuel-macron

34 Présidence de la République (2020, March 16). Adresse aux Français. https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2020/03/16/adresse-aux-francais-covid19

35 Présidence de la République, (2020, March 12). Adresse aux Français. https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2020/03/12/adresse-aux-francais

36 Sarkozy N. (2008, October 23). Discourse by President Sarkozy on the measures taken to support the economy. https://www.elysee.fr/nicolas-sarkozy/2008/10/23/declaration-de-m-nicolas-sarkozy-president-de-la-republique-sur-les-mesures-de-soutien-a-leconomie-face-a-la-crise-economique-internationale-a-argonay-haute-savoie-le-23-octobre-2008

37 https://stay-grounded.org/savepeoplenotplanes

38 ‘Bélgica, el siniestro país de modelo marxista cultural que lidera muertes por millón de habitantes’ www.antronio.cl/threads/el-siniestro-pa%C3%ADs-de-modelo-marxista-cultural-que-lidera-muertes-por-mill%C3%B3n-de-habitantes.1322094/

39 Vogel, K. P., Rutenberg, J., & Lerer, L. (2020, April 21). The quiet hand of conservative groups in the anti-lockdown protests. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/us/politics/coronavirus-protests-trump.html

40 Waldron T. (2020, May 20). Brazil is the new epicentre of the Global Coronavirus pandemic. Huffington Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bolsonaro-brazil-coronavirus-pandemic_n_5ec5662ac5b6dcbe36022e5a

41 Baumgärtner, M., Bohr, F., Höfner, R., Lehmann, T., Müller, A.K., Röbel S., Rosenbach, M., Schaible, J., Wiedmann-Schmidt, W., & Winter, S. (2020, May 14). The Corona conspiracy theorists. Der Spiegel International. https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-corona-conspiracy-theorists-protests-in-germany-see-fringe-mix-with-the-mainstream-a-8a9d5822-8944-407a-980a-d58e9d6b4aec

42 Michelle, B. (2020, April 3). Can faith healing work by phone? Charismatic Christians try prayer to combat the coronavirus. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/04/03/supernatural-healing-christian-faith-coronavirus-pandemic

43 UN Press Releases (2020, May 8). UN Secretary-General Denounces ‘Tsunami’ of Xenophobia Unleashed amid COVID-19. https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sgsm20076.doc.htm

44 Ahmed, K. (2020, May 2). Malaysia cites Covid-19 for rounding up hundreds of migrants. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/02/malaysia-cites-covid-19-for-rounding-up-hundreds-of-migrants

45 Davidson, H. (2020, April 8). Critic who called Xi a ‘clown’ over Covid-19 crisis investigated for ‘serious violations’. The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/critic-xi-jinping-clown-ren-zhiqiang-covid-19-outbreak-investigated-china

46 Polloni, C. (2020, April 16). Pour des banderoles au balcon, la police à domicile. Mediapart. www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/160420/pour-des-banderoles-au-balcon-la-police-domicile

47 Rédaction Bastamag (2020, April 30). Banderoles Macronavirus et Bella Ciao aux fenêtres. Bastamag. https://www.bastamag.net/fete-1er-mai-action-banderole-macronavirus-chanson-bellaciao-fenetre-balcon-manifestation-deconfinement-geste-barriere.