ABSTRACT
Most countries now have democratic forms of government. While some elements such as adult franchise and elected officials to run governments are common to most democracies, there are also features that distinguish one country from another. A traditional mode of expressing a protest against what is perceived to be an injustice either to an individual or to the community has been the undertaking of a hunger strike until death. After independence, hunger strike did not cease to be an instrument of political protest although the colonial power has been replaced with a popularly elected government. Another weapon usually resorted to by the public relates to organizing protests through public marches and public meetings. The protest may be undertaken to register opposition to a stated policy by government or to demand the pursuit of new policies by governments. A variant of the mass protest is the mass courting of arrest by the public.
