Solidarity Dilemma and Negotiated Radicalization in Mass Mobilizations

• In Event: Protest Dynamics and Social Change

Abstract

Mass mobilizations experiencing tactical radicalization often face a “solidarity dilemma”: participants must justify the legitimate use of violent tactics by some of their fellow participants, while also avoiding alienating the general public. Yet, despite the abundance of research on why and how protest movements radicalize, we know little about how the process of tactical radicalization is managed internally within movements. In this study, we investigate radicalization as a negotiated strategy within the context of collective action. We examine the unfolding of negotiated radicalization through two distinct protest cycles that took place in 2019: the Anti-Extradition movement in Hong Kong and the Estallido Social in Chile. These two movements, although different in their demands, possess three common characteristics that are key to the study of negotiated radicalization: (1) they developed over a long period, which allows us to capture changes, ruptures, and continuities of strategies, (2) they managed to mobilize large portions of the population while also trying to maintain widespread support, and (3) within both movements we find a coexistence of peaceful mobilization along with violent activities. Each country is analyzed independently to explore the occurrence and mechanisms of negotiated radicalization during their respective protest periods. For the case of Hong Kong, we analyzed daily level data on protest occurrence and violent events, along with online communication platforms where movement-related discussion took place. In the Chilean case, we analyzed six months of protest data, examining the relationship between protest occurrence and violent events, both as responses by law enforcement agents and the demonstrators themselves.

This research enhances our comprehension of the factors influencing the emergence of violent strategies during protest events and the subsequent impact of this radicalization on mobilization dynamics. It adds value to the existing body of literature in two primary ways: firstly, by centering on the evolution of strategies within single protest cycles, we were able to examine patterns in the non-violent/radical spectrum of repertoires of action. This provides a valuable empirical assessment of not only how radicalization emerges, but also of the way it is manifested in street demonstrations, thereby shedding light on previously unexplored dimensions. Secondly, we contribute to the scholarship dedicated to examining why protests become violent which has focused on external factors, such as repression, or internal factors, such as the lack of organization (see Ives and Lewis, 2020), offering a more nuanced perspective focused on interactions within a given movement.

Authors

• Samson Yuen, Hong Kong Baptist University

• Francisca Castro, International Security and Development Center