The protest doesn't have to be beautiful.

2026-06-13 15:05:00, Opinione Ardi Stefa

Every protest goes through several stages. Initially, it brings enthusiasm, energy, and hope.

Then comes the real challenge. Is it able to produce organization, leadership, and real pressure on the government?

If the protest does not identify its leaders, the people who will articulate the demands, take responsibility, and publicly represent the movement, then it risks remaining simply a collection of emotions.

Emotions mobilize, but they are not enough to bring about political change.

But equally important is pressure.

First, the authorities do not change their stance because they are faced with large crowds, but because they feel the real costs of ignoring them. If the economic, administrative and political life of the capital continues normally, while the protest remains a daily ritual without concrete consequences for decision-makers, then the establishment has no reason to worry.

This is where the establishment seems to be investing.

Not necessarily by attacking the protest directly, but by waiting for it to consume its energy. By waiting for the lack of clear leaders to produce confusion. By waiting for people to tire, return to their routines, and gradually lose faith that things can change.

If the economic, social, and political life of the capital were not paralyzed, then the protest would have no effect.

Second, a protest can be beautiful, massive, sincere, and inspiring. It can take over social media and television screens. But if it fails to create a leadership structure and exert sustained pressure on the centers of power, it risks slowly fading away, leaving behind only the memory of a missed opportunity.

Third, there must be a clear direction and not everyone should protest for what they think and say their problems into the microphone. This was true in the early days. Now, when a protest does not have a clear direction, the media and public opinion over time begin to focus not on the cause, but on its ambiguity. The debate shifts from the problem being denounced to the question: "Who represents these people?" And, the longer this question remains unanswered, the more the political force of the protest fades.

Therefore, if mechanisms are not built that make the protest sustainable and capable of imposing the change it seeks, then it will either fade away or be captured by the establishment.