Pakistan is one of the 60 countries that have experienced active large-scale protests during the last 12 months, states a September 9, 2026 report of a globally-acclaimed American think-tank "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace." Protest and dissent reasons range from a volatile combination of skyrocketing inflation, soaring cost of living, unemployment, injustice and political polarization to the ever-growing rage over corruption in power corridors. According to Carnegie's "Global Protest Tracker," during the last one year, not fewer than 113 significant anti-government protests, of which 33 are still active, have erupted worldwide.
Served by over 200 business tycoons, finance leaders, former diplomats, philanthropists and entrepreneurs, the 116-year-old "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace" had reported in December 2025 that 33 governments were then facing 53 demonstrations of more than 10,000 people. According to "Human Rights Watch," an international non-governmental watchdog headquartered in New York City, countries where all forms of protest are either totally banned or require strict prior government approval include China, Russia, North Korea, Congo, Turkmenistan and Cuba.
Active in over 100 countries, this is what this NGO had viewed on March 12, 2026: "Freedoms of expression, assembly and association provide a bedrock for rights-respecting societies. We urge all governments to reverse this alarming downward spiral and promote rather than repress peaceful protest, and hold to account all those who violate these rights, regardless of position or rank." A European network of Civil Society Organizations, with over 50 chapters based in 26 countries (19 of which are EU nations), has reported: "In at least 12 EU member states, authorities have taken disproportionate measures, including the pre-emptive banning of protests based on apparent risk to "public order" and "security." Such cases have been documented in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland and Sweden.
In several member states, the courts have overturned protest bans. In Milan, Italian police used batons to disperse pro-Palestine demonstrators who gathered despite an official ban on protests on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2024. Other incidents of excessive force have been recorded in Austria, Belgium, France, Greece and the Netherlands.
Restrictions on freedom of expression have also been imposed, targeting symbols associated with Palestine. Symbols like the Palestinian flag have reportedly been banned in countries such as Germany, Italy, and Spain, further limiting the ability of individuals to express solidarity. Austria, Germany and France have linked legitimate criticism of Israeli authorities with antisemitism and silenced the voice of Palestinian and Jewish activists by ordering the cancellation of events.
In Germany alone, 139 cases of cultural repressions were documented within just three months. Access to venues was withdrawn or events were cancelled. Moreover, smear campaigns and threats of defunding were hurled for expressing views on Palestine.