More than six decades ago, when I was a schoolboy at Pathanamthitta in Kerala, an elderly man had made protest a part of his daily routine. Every working day, he would set up a small, foldable tent near the gate of the taluk office and sit there, pursuing a cause he believed was worth fighting for. He was a naturopath, and his demand was that the government should ban all non-vegetarian food.

He continued his agitation for hundreds of days. Eventually he died, and his protest came to an end. I saw him almost every day while going to school. Even as a boy, I could not understand the logic of his demand. It seemed unreasonable, if not downright impractical. Yet nobody questioned his right to peaceful protest.

That childhood memory came back to me when I visited London. One of the first places I wanted to see was Hyde Park, particularly Speakers’ Corner, where people have traditionally gathered to express their opinions on practically every subject under the sun.

I remembered that George Bernard Shaw had used the park’s public-speaking tradition to propagate his ideas and challenge conventional thinking. Speakers’ Corner has long attracted people with strong convictions, unusual theories and sometimes eccentric beliefs. One need not agree with what they say to appreciate their right to say it.

I have since visited places associated with public demonstra-tions in Washington DC, Berlin and Paris. In each city, protest has a visible presence in public life. From environmental campaigners and vegan enthusiasts to gay-rights activists and political opponents, people take to public spaces to articulate their demands. Some protest against governments, others against social practices, economic policies or international developments.

What struck me was that these protest sites were not tucked away in obscure corners. They were often situated in prominent locations,........

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