From France to Italy, Spain, and Portugal, citizens are taking to the streets over rising living costs, housing shortages, economic inequality, and government policies. Students, workers, and trade unions are demanding change. Some demonstrations have resulted in violent confrontations, arrests, injuries, and destruction of property.
These scenes are familiar to Africans. Kenya’s Gen Z demonstrations against taxation and corruption, Nigeria’s protests over economic hardship, and Tanzania’s election-related unrest reflect concerns not entirely different from those troubling European citizens. But something interesting happens when we examine how governments are judged for responding to such unrest.
When protests erupt in Europe, international discussions frequently centre on economic grievances, policing and political dissatisfaction. When similar events occur in Africa, the language may shift towards democratic failure, human rights violations, political legitimacy, and possible international sanctions.
Why? Are these differences always justified by circumstances, or does a country’s international standing influence the judgement?
We frequently discuss inequality between rich and poor, between social classes and between the Global North and Global South. But what about inequality within the international system itself? The international order is founded upon principles of sovereignty, human rights, and equality among nations.
Yet equality in principle does not necessarily translate into equality in practice.
Consider the United Nations. Its Charter recognises the sovereign equality of member States, yet five permanent members of the Security Council possess veto powers unavailable to other countries.
Consider France, where recent demonstrations have involved serious confrontations between protesters and security forces. Allegations of excessive police force, including injuries to young demonstrators, have prompted criticism and investigations.
Now consider Kenya’s 2024 demonstrations against the Finance Bill, during which protesters were killed, and serious allegations of unlawful police conduct emerged. Both situations raise legitimate questions about citizens’ rights and the appropriate use of State force.
Yet France is a major economic power and permanent member of the Security Council. Kenya occupies a very different position within international economic and diplomatic relationships. Does this difference influence the international consequences of domestic unrest?
Historian Tariq Ali recently compared contemporary unrest with the worldwide upheavals of 1968, when students and workers challenged established authority across Europe, America, and Asia. Interestingly, this occurred when several African and Asian countries had recently achieved independence. But political independence did not automatically produce equality within the international system. Newly independent nations entered international financial, diplomatic, and security arrangements largely established before they acquired political sovereignty. Nearly 60 years later, how much has changed?
There is also a lesson for African governments and political movements seeking external alliances to resolve domestic disagreements. International partnerships may be useful, but powerful countries pursue their own interests. Africa must, therefore, strengthen its capacity to resolve political differences internally, protect citizens’ rights, and negotiate international relationships without excessive dependency.
This interrogation neither condemns European governments nor excuses African governments. But if justice, accountability, and human dignity are universal principles, should their application depend upon a country’s economic or geopolitical influence?
Perhaps contemporary demonstrations offer an opportunity to examine not only how individual countries are governed but also how the world itself is governed. When Europe protests, it is a political crisis. When Africa protests, is it a governance crisis? If the principles are universal, should the standards not be universal, too?