The power of protest
Parliament Hill is Canada's ultimate public square.
For this reason, the green space in front of Centre Block is frequently the site for rallies and protests on a wide variety of issues. Recently Iranians protested the results of the election in their home country. Centre Block has has also been the site for Tamils protesting the treatment of their people in Sri Lanka.
These protests have garnered national news coverage, often with front page photos of the protests accompanied by stories that provide background information on events in Iran and Sri Lanka.
That is the purpose of protest: to bring the public's attention to situations it might otherwise ignore. And the purpose of doing it on Parliament Hill is to gain the attention of the nation.
The protesters are not only asking for attention, they are demanding action. They want the Canadian government to do something and do it now! And they depend to a large extent on the media to bring the protests to the attention of all Canadians.
But some protests seem to be more worthy of coverage than others. It is no doubt frustrating to many Canadians—particularly those with a Christian worldview—to know that the news media largely ignored the 12,000 people who participated in the March for Life on May 12 protesting the fact that Canada has no laws restricting abortion.
This is not to say that the protests regarding Sri Lanka and Iran are without merit; it is important to bring these issues to the public's attention.
But isn't it also important to raise awareness on abortion? Public opinion polls consistently show that the majority of Canadians want laws that restrict at least some abortions.
Protest can be a very powerful tool. We just passed the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square, where the Chinese government gunned down students holding a demonstration demanding democracy.
While the students' demands have not been met, the protest focused the world's attention on the Chinese government. And even now, 20 years later, the event is remembered and has become a touchstone for change in China.
Christians who are frustrated that their voices seem to be silenced—at least by the news media—might do well to ask why? What is it about our voice of protest that makes it easy to ignore?
An easy answer is that news outlets are biased. Statistically, those who work in the media hold more liberal views than the general population. This is certainly true of the Ottawa media.
A second answer is that news media often think that religious issues have limited appeal to their audiences. A friend in the Halifax media told me about trying to get her editor to allow her to cover a Christian festival in that city. Even though 20,000 people were expected to come to the city for the festival, her editor did not think this was "real news" because it was just a group of Christians.
A third answer may be that Christians come to Parliament Hill for a few hours and then they go home. The Tamils made the news because they came and they stayed. They closed down the road in front of the Parliament Buildings. Then they had a sit-in on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto.
Christians may be too nice to want to be a bother. And sometimes being a bother backfires. Quite frankly, the Tamil protest was not a success and may have done more harm than good to their cause.
Canadian democracy protects the right to protest. As Christians, we should exercise that right if the actions of individuals or governments infringe our ability to believe and practise our Christian faith. Respectful protests get the attention of elected officials and can produce results.
The mainstream news media, however, may need a little education and more open-mindedness to help them understand why Christian protests newsworthy.
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
