Paid protester

In Kyrgyzstan, the acronym OBON, which expands to "Otryad Bab Osobogo Naznacheniya"[14] in the Kyrgyz language and can be translated as "special-assignment female units", refers to hired female protesters. The benefits of this is that it is a cheap way to populate a protest site as well as reduce the probability of violent confrontation with the police and other security forces.[1] The remuneration for this has also been discussed by Kyrgyzstan media.[1]

In Indonesia, reports of paid protests surfaced during the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, the 2014 Indonesian presidential election and during the 2001 clash between two Indonesian Presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri and Abdurrahman Wahid.[2] During the 2013–2014 Bulgarian protests various accusations were made against groups of protesters and counter-protests being paid.[15][16][17] In 2014, protesters in Pakistan told BBC that they were hired to protest for Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri.[18]

In 2018, the Additional Solicitor General of India used the phrase in the Supreme Court of India, "We are in an era where there are some professional protestors who like to protest outside the apex court, Parliament, President’s house or Prime Minister’s house. They don’t like any other alternative place for protests".[19] The Shaheen Bagh protests in India were accused of being a paid protest. The protesters in turn put up posters and conveyed through the media that it was not a paid protest and that the protesters were not doing it for money.[20][21][22]

A poster (top left) at the Shaheen Bagh protest reads: "No Cash, No Paytm, No Account" (Don't give money to any volunteers)
Photographed, 11 Jan 2020

Former U.S. President Donald Trump often made unfounded claims about paid or professional protesters throughout his presidency.[6][23][24][25][26] For example he used the phrase "professional protesters" in a tweet following protests against his election victory.[4] Similar accusations were made against participants in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in 2016 and 2017.[27] There have been public claims of organizations such as Crowds on Demand providing paid protesters, or pay for protesting.[28][29][30][31]

In the United Kingdom, concerns and accusations related to paid protests have been reported. During the visit of Tamim al-Thani to London in 2018, a paid protest took place outside Downing Street.[32][33] In 2023, a protester for Just Stop Oil disrupted a game at 2023 World Snooker Championship where it was later discovered he claimed to offer services as a paid protester.[34]

In Indonesia, the term "nasi bungkus brigade" or the "boxed lunch crowd" has been coined to refer to paid protesters.[2][35] The Hindi phrase andolan jeevis translates to "protest lifeforms". The phrase was used by the Indian Prime Minister in the parliament of India.[36]

• Crisis actor § Conspiracy theories and defamation
• Outside agitator

Notes

Citations

• Abby Ohlheiser (18 January 2017). How a hoax website about paid protesters came crumbling down live on TV. The Washington Post.
• Archanaa Seker (9 January 2020). The price we pay for protesting. The New Indian Express.
• Tanvi Akhauri (6 February 2021). Was Rihanna Paid To Tweet On Farmers’ Protest? Here’s What We Know. SheThePeople.
• Li Zhou (3 June 2020). The trope of "outside agitators" at protests, explained. Vox.

Humour and satire

• Colin Stokes (16 November 2016). The Perks Of Being A Professional Protester. McSweeney's.
• Rex Huppke (27 February 2017). Proof that liberal protesters are paid. Chicago Tribune.