On May 28th of 2013, plans to replace an Istanbul park with a modern mall sparked a small sit-in-style protest in Turkey. The peaceful protestors were quickly met with violence from the state, a mistake we are sure the state wishes it could take back.

The result of this violence was an eruption of anti-government demonstrations that have lasted almost a year (as of this post). It is estimated that almost 5% of the country’s entire population has participated in the movement since the protests first began.

Jad and Kevin tackle the idea of why protests begin and how they gain momentum. We consider what triggers them and discuss how riots characteristically differ from revolutions. We consider the Arab Spring, the IRA, the Occupy movement, and even the Los Angeles Riots.

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