Protest expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations: sometimes in favor, though more often opposed. Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly and forcefully making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or may undertake direct action to attempt to directly enact desired changes themselves.

Self-expression can, in theory, in practice or in appearance, be restricted by governmental policy, economic circumstances, religious orthodoxy, social structures, or media monopoly. When such restrictions happen, grumbles or interior opposition may spill over into other areas such as culture, the streets or emigration.

A protest can itself sometimes be the subject of a counter-protest. In such a case, counter-protesters demonstrate their support for the person, policy, action, etc. that is the subject of the original protest.

Unaddressed protest may grow and widen dissent, activism, riots, insurgency, revolts, and political and/or social revolution, as in:

• Northern Europe in the early 16th century (Protestant Reformation)
• North America in the 1770s (American Revolution)
• France in 1789 (French Revolution)
• The Haymarket riot, 1886, a violent labor protest led by the Anarchist Movement
• Martin Luther King's 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a key moment in the Civil Rights Movement
• The Stonewall riots in 1969 protesting the treatment of homosexuals in New York City
• The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
• The many ACT-UP AIDS protests of the late 80's and early 90's
• The Seattle WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity against the World Trade Organization
• Anti-globalization Protests in Prague in 2000
• Serbia in 2000
• The YCAC (Youth Campaign Against Conscription) was mainly made up of university students, in which they would organise marches and demonstrations
• SOS (Save Our Sons) were moderate middle class women who would hold silent protest vigils-founded in 1965

No body could have expected the rate in which unadressed protest grew, from being small protests exclusive of violence, to being large protests held all around the world involving violence and in which many arrests were made and warnings given out.

Recognized forms of protest include:

Some forms of direct action listed in this article are also public demonstrations or rallies.

• Protest march
• Picketing
• Street protesters
• Die-in
• Protest song
• Silent protest
• Radical cheerleading

Written evidence of political or economic power, or democratic justification may also be a way of protesting.

• Petitions
• Letters (to show political power by the volume of letters): For example, some letter writing campaigns especially with signed form letter

Any protest could be civil disobedience if a “ruling authority” says so, but the following are usually civil disobedience demonstrations:

• Public nudity or topfree (to protest indecency laws or as a publicity stunt for another protest such as a war protest)
• Sit-in
• Raasta roko (people blocking auto traffic with their bodies)
• Some other publicity stunts

• Peace camp
• Formation of a tent city

• Riot - Protests or attempts to end protests sometimes lead to rioting.
• Self-immolation

• Nonviolent resistance for exampletest)|Occupation]]

• Tax resistance
• Conscientious objector
• Flag desecration

• Bully pulpit
• Judicial activism

• Strike action
• Sitdown strike
• Walkout
• work-in

• Lockout

• Rent strike

• Boycott

• Informative letters: thought provoking letter writing campaigns, letters to the editor especially those that the editor appreciates
• Teach-in
• Zine
• Soapboxing

• Samizdat (distributing censored materials)
• Protest Graffiti

• The 13th century Spanish tale "The Emperor Has No Clothes"
• Culture jamming

• Recusancy

In American English, the verb protest often acts transitively: The students protested the policy. Elsewhere one can still find intransitive usage: The students protested against the policy; or: The students protested in favor of the policy.

Early protests began with basic things such as a teach-in these were organised from 1965 onwards, at these speakers representing different viewpoint debated issues.

• Action on climate change
• Anti-globalization movement
• 2006 Dalit protests in Maharashtra
• First Amendment to the United States Constitution
• France Protest
• 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests
• May 1968
• Police
• Protest art
• Protests against the 2003 Iraq war
• Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
• UK fuel protests

• Slideshow of pictures from the Amnesty International denounce torture rally at Portland, Oregon.
• Essay examining ICTs and protest
• High-tech protest at the 2004 Republican National Convention
• Parenting Versus Protesting: Are They Mutually Exclusive?
• Is There A Legal Age for Political Dissent? Teens at Protests!
• East Fife Football Club Supporters' Protest against chairman Brown
• Important Protests Mapped on Platial.