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Protests are back and hopefully they’re here to stay.

The protest, a classic American way of expressing opinion, has had little relevance or impact in the past decade. Both apathy and a general lack of passion-inducing controversial issues have stymied what could have been an outspoken, activist generation. Activists have not been exercising their minds, legs and voices to make a statement and a difference. But now the youth of this country finally has issues to get upset about.

With the recent threat of war against Iraq and the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which negated state anti-abortion laws, people are beginning to recognize the prospect of losing their place within democracy as valuable participants.

Especially in today’s climate, protests can be an effective method for providing opposition to a controversial war. Just last weekend, about 500,000 protesters converged on the mall in Washington D.C. and in San Francisco to express their opposition to the impending war with Iraq. Many of the protesters, including some UCLA students, feeling strongly about the issue, looked to voice their opinion.

People who are against protests do not understand what this country stands for. Freedom of speech and assembly is a constitutional right. Many people bring up neo-Nazi or Klu Klux Klan protests as examples of why there should be restricted protesting in our country. The thought of people freely expressing the ideas of these groups is absolutely detestable. But part of what makes this country so unique is that we also protect everyone’s right to assemble peacefully.

In order for people to be able to come together in thousands to express dissent about Iraq, one hundred people must also be able to march down the street to commemorate Hitler. As horrible as that is, it is also important.

The effectiveness of protests is also debatable and extremely difficult to measure. However, there are some measures – Wednesday’s new Washington Post/ABC News Poll indicated that a drop in support for war with Iraq most likely had a fair amount to do with protests that occurred over the weekend.

Public opinion is greatly influenced by the media, and the main story about Iraq over the weekend involved the protests and the reasons behind them.

This increases public awareness of the opposition’s reasons to wait on war. Without the protests, the voice of opposition would not be nearly as powerful.

This outlook applies to all issues. For example, at the 30th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, both sides of the tumultuous debate over abortion rights took their views to the Capitol. There they garnered media coverage, therefore increasing the amount of information available to the public.

As long as the protests remain peaceful, they will be an integral part of our democracy – an effective way to express opinions and make an impression. They show that it is still acceptable and sometimes even laudable to be outspoken in this country.