Laughing in the face of oppression: How humour can defy autocracy

As night falls over Tbilisi, Georgia, thousands of protesters flood the streets. It is December 2024, just over a month after parliamentary elections that the demonstrators claim were rigged. They are demanding electoral transparency and denounce what they see as a betrayal of their European aspirations: the ruling Georgian Dream Party’s abrupt cancellation of EU negotiations. Yet, amid the tense atmosphere, an unexpected scene unfolds: Two protesters step into the centre of the crowd and begin swapping their coats, then their hats and finally their sweaters, completely exchanging outfits.

The crowd erupts into laughter as a speaker announces over the megaphone, “And this is undeniable proof of protesters’ fake identities, as our beloved mayor revealed on live TV last night!”

The clothes-swapping stunt was designed to mock Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, who had claimed that opposition protesters were disguising themselves by rapidly changing clothes to attend multiple rallies. Suggesting that the protesters were exaggerating the size of their crowds, the mayor claimed that, “The same people are participating in the marches, and they change clothes very quickly.” He went on to say, “I think they are well-trained in this because it’s not easy to attend one, two or even three rallies within an hour!” The claim was so obviously absurd that it quickly became a joke, fuelling a wave of humorous defiance across Georgia.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Maputo, Mozambique, protesters face a far more violent environment. It is late November 2024. With over 50 demonstrators said to have been killed in previous crackdowns, riot police prepare to disperse a crowd that is demanding a recount of the votes cast in the general elections that had taken place in October. Instead of retreating, the protesters kneel in unison and start singing the national anthem. Watched by a sea of cameras, the police find themselves in a dilemma: Should they carry out their brutal orders and risk international condemnation or retreat in the face of a peaceful demonstration of patriotism? The police chose the first option. But that didn’t stop demonstrators from repeating this strategy in protests during the months that followed.

These powerful and creative forms of resistance are examples of dilemma actions – strategies that force regimes and their security forces into lose-lose situations, exposing their weaknesses and mobilising public support.

Why dilemma actions work 

Such actions don’t just make for fascinating stories, they really work. In fact, our research shows that dilemma actions are an essential tool in the arsenal of non-violent movements. They work by forcing oppressive regimes into difficult choices where any response – whether repression, concession or inaction – ultimately strengthens their opponents. Key reasons why dilemma actions are effective include:

1. Shifting the narrative: Authoritarian power tends to portray itself as righteous and just. Dilemma actions highlight hypocrisy and make it very easy to expose the contradictions and absurdity of authoritarian power.
2. Expanding participation: All movements thrive on expanding participation. By using humour and symbolic acts, opposition movements make resistance more accessible and appealing to a broader audience.
3. Disarming security forces: Trained to confront aggression, police often struggle with how to respond to playful or patriotic protests. They risk losing credibility when they attack protesters who are engaged in non-threatening acts.
4. Garnering global attention: Creative tactics are very media-friendly. The international media find it hard to resist a clever display of tactical action. Such stories often spread rapidly and then work to increase global support for the movement.

The power of humour in resistance

Dilemma actions often incorporate humour – we call this “laughtivism”. While the idea that humour can be an effective weapon for battling repression may seem counterintuitive, it turns out that this tactic has been used effectively in countries as diverse as Serbia and Thailand. When people laugh at an oppressive regime, this erodes its authority. 

Back in the 2000s in Serbia, activists mocked dictator Slobodan Milošević by placing an oil barrel with his face plastered on it in public spaces and inviting passersby to take a swing at it with a baseball bat. The police were faced with a dilemma – confiscate the barrel and look ridiculous or leave it there and allow public defiance to grow.

In 2014 in Germany, a neo-Nazi march was turned into an “involuntary fundraiser” for an anti-extremism group. For every metre marched, local businesses pledged donations to EXIT Deutschland, an organisation helping former Nazi extremists leave the movement. Protesters and local residents cheered on the marchers, holding signs that read “If only the Führer knew!”

In Russia in 2012, activists bypassed a protest ban by setting up toy figurines holding anti-Putin signs. Hilariously, the authorities, feeling threatened, banned the toy protest, claiming “The toys are not Russian citizens.” The crackdown only fuelled ridicule and international media attention.

These cases highlight how humour dismantles fear and exposes the insecurities of authoritarian regimes. And even more importantly, it boosts non-violent movements.

The strategies of laughtivism

Often such actions are spontaneous. In 2019, an individual in Kazakhstan decided on the spur of the moment to hold up a blank sign to protest against the protest ban, sparking a series of copycat actions. The most successful dilemma actions require careful planning, however. 

As part of our research, we’ve analysed over 400 examples of dilemma actions and presented them on our “Tactics4Change” website. We have identified several key factors that characterise successful dilemma actions. These include:

1. Identifying the right issue: Successful actions tap into what we describe as a “widely held belief” that can resonate with the broader public and is easy to communicate, a basic idea that is hard to disagree with. For example, the Mozambique protest described above taps into the widely held belief that those who peacefully sing the anthem are not enemies of the state.
2. Choosing an effective target: Successful actions expose contradictions in the regime’s narrative without alienating potential supporters.
3. Planning a playful strategy: Humour, creativity and symbolic acts should align with the cultural and social context. The key is to choose a way to laugh at an abuse of power in a way that others will find funny and clever as well.
4. Amplifying the action: Effective use of the media helps amplify an action’s message. Laughtivism actions have often spread through memes, viral videos and social media challenges.
5. Anticipating the regime’s reaction: Preparing for potential responses ensures that activists remain in control of the narrative.

Dilemma actions may seem easy and playful, yet they are often very strategically organised. In Turkey in 2013, for example, activists staged a “kiss-in” at subway stations to protest against draconian morality laws. People met at subway stations and started kissing each other for several minutes, carrying signs reading “Free Kisses” and chanting slogans. The authorities faced an embarrassing dilemma – should they actually arrest people for kissing? In the end, the kiss-in movement successfully highlighted the absurdity of the new laws and gained widespread support.

Recent events in Georgia and Mozambique remind us of a powerful truth: resistance doesn’t always have to be angry or aggressive to be effective. While it makes sense to be angry at abusive power, mocking it instead can have a far more destabilising effect. It hits right at the heart of a regime’s credibility. Whether it’s coat-swapping in Tbilisi or anthem-singing in Maputo: Non-violent resistance can harness humour, patriotism and creativity to challenge authoritarianism in unexpected ways.

Links

Tactics4Change: 
www.tactics4change.org 

McClennen, S., Popovic, S., Wright, J., 2023: 
How to Sharpen a Nonviolent Movement. Journal of Democracy. 
https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/how-to-sharpen-a-nonviolent-movement/ 

Popovic, S., 2015: Blueprint for revolution: How to use rice pudding, Lego men, and other nonviolent techniques to galvanize communities, overthrow dictators, or simply change the world.

Sophia A. McClennen is professor of international affairs and comparative literature at Penn State University and founding director of the Center for Global Studies. 
sophia.mcclennen@gmail.com 

Srdja Popovic is founder of the Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) and lecturer at Colorado College and the University of Virginia.
X: @SrdjaPopovic