[vacri]

The problem I have is that you're making arguments of semantics ('coercion'? Really?). So I'm responding with arguments of semantics.

So, what happens to your argument when a majority of people want the protest? Anyone can claim the silent majority for themselves.

What happens when the person approving the permits refuses to give it out because they don't feel like it? Do you wait the months it takes to take the government to court? What if you have no money? Is everyone just supposed to wait around until the judge supplies a court order?

Ultimately the issue is this: bad shit happens from time to time, and people feel the need to make themselves heard. In a healthy society, they should be allowed to do so. If that sort of action carries on impeding everyone else for a while, then sure, then it's time to say it's gone on too long. But the idea that you should never even be slightly inconvenienced because of someone else's issues is somewhat... inhuman.

I say this as someone whose transport home is a tram that goes right down my city's favoured protest route (it leads to the parliament house). Whenever there's a protest, permitted or not, my ride home gets severely delayed or I have to find alternate transport ($$ taxi). But you know what, that's part of life. Shit happens. And ultimately, most people are protesting in some form or another for an increase in civil liberties, and to be frank, most of the "screw those people for getting in the way" brigade are either ambivalent or oppose the broadening of civil liberties.

[orbitur]

I feel like there's something terribly wrong with your viewpoint.

If you want to protest, go stand in front of our government houses, go stand in front of the people whose jobs affect our lives.

As it is, some people like to believe that standing on a highway will change something. What does it accomplish? Do highway blockages win people over or just alienate more people who should be on the side of the protest? I'm sure in some cases, people get annoyed enough that they finally give in to whatever is demanded (see France).

Occupy Wall Street happened in a park, and on already highly congested streets. People were there for so long that it acually made the news, and it stayed on the news for weeks. Just imagine what the protestors could have accomplished if they had a single unifying goal or message!

It seems the only purpose for blocking automobiles is to annoy people until they can't take it anymore. Instead of effecting real change.