Bloomberg predicted popular unrest in different countries and regions of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. Historical parallels with diseases and epidemics of different eras are cited to support this hypothesis.
The author, columnist for the publication Andreas Klute cites the example of the plague epidemic in England in 1625. The poet George Wither described the riots on the streets of London and attributed them to dissatisfaction with the strict measures imposed by the authorities. Many of them were similar to the current ones, in particular the requirement of social distancing, he notes.
Another wave of protests also took place in England in 1381, 33 years after the outbreak of the plague. During this time, the government did not take appropriate measures to improve the quality of life of the least protected segments of the population, and the latter raised a peasant uprising, the author writes.
The current coronavirus pandemic has already sparked protests in 26 countries, including Germany, Italy, Brazil, Israel and Serbia. In some cases, residents have expressed opposition to tough measures that impede doing business. In others, people are protesting against politicians suspected of corruption.
So, in Serbia, the main dissatisfaction was associated with the actions of President Alexander Vuychic, who eased the quarantine for the sake of elections. Citizens perceived the second wave of restrictions as suppression of dissent in the country. Similar demands are being made in Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Nitanyahu stopped the work of courts and the government, and also demanded the introduction of universal digital control over residents.
In addition, in some countries, people who believe in conspiracy theories and doubt the very existence of the coronavirus go out on the streets.
At the same time, Klute predicts an increase in protest moods in society. According to him, against the backdrop of the pandemic, even actions not directly related to the coronavirus may escalate, for example, a series of protests against the infringement of the rights of blacks under the slogan Black lives matter.