Five Of The World’s Most Bizarre Protest Movements

Published September 2, 2013
Updated February 26, 2018

Bizarre Protest Movement No. 4: Farmers Take Brussels

Bizarre Protests Dairy Farmers

Source: NBC

In 2009, more than 2,500 farmers gathered in Brussels, Belgium to protest unreasonable quotas and the falling price of milk. Farmers responded by driving their trucks and tractors into the city and blocking the European Union. Incensed, the crowd–which also included cows and other animals–began wrecking the city. Farmers burned hay and tires, and launched eggs and other items at police, officials and the occasional passerby.

Bizarre Protests Dairy Farmer With Cow

Source: NBC

Organized by the European Milk Board, farmers also squirted and sprayed cow milk in protest. The chaotic situation brought traffic to a standstill, and significant police involvement further complicated the scene. Violent protests by farmers are not uncommon in the area. Shortly before overtaking the city, farmers dumped millions of liters of milk onto their fields in yet another protest.

Bizarre Protests Cow Shooting Milk

Source: LOL Snaps

Bizarre Protests Dairy Tractors

Source: NBC

Bizarre Protest Movement No. 5: Spelling Bee Protestors

Bizarre Protests Spelling Bee Signs

In a protest of the more poindexter sort, individuals from the American Literacy Council took issue with the spelling of English words at the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee and thus decided to contest it. The group endorses SoundSpel, a reform proposal which seeks to change the English language spelling to reflect phonetic pronunciation. Supporters say the change would make language more intuitive and easier to understand.

Bizarre Protests Spelling Change

Source: Flickr

The tiny group of protestors, who felt that the current spelling rules prohibit individuals from being able to read and write, say that each year more and more people prefer phonetic spelling. Sadly, if the American Literacy Council’s desired changes were made to the English language, the National Spelling Bee would cease to exist.

author
Kiri Picone
author
Kiri Picone holds a B.A. in English and creative writing from Pepperdine University and has been writing for various digital publishers for more than 10 years.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.