InSpanish, acacerolazo (Spanish pronunciation:[kaθeɾoˈlaθo] or[kaseɾoˈlaso]) orcacerolada ([kaθeɾoˈlaða]); also inCatalan acassolada (Catalan pronunciation:[kə.suˈɫa.ðə] or[kə.soˈɫa.ðə]) is a form of popularprotest which consists of a group of people making noise by banging pots, pans, and other utensils in order to call for attention.
The first documented protests of this style occurred in France in the 1830s, at the beginning of the July Monarchy, by opponents of the regime ofLouis Philippe I of France. According to the historian Emmanuel Fureix, the protesters took from the tradition of thecharivari the use of noise to express disapproval, and beat saucepans to make noise against government politicians. This way of showing discontent became popular in 1832, taking place mainly at night and sometimes with the participation of thousands of people.
More than a century later, in 1961, "the nights of the pots" were held inAlgeria, in the framework of theAlgerian War of Independence. They were thunderous displays of noise in cities of the territory, carried out with homemade pots, whistles, horns and the cry of "French Algeria".
In the following decades, this type of protest was limited almost exclusively to South America, with Chile being the first country in the region to register them. Subsequently, it has also been seen in Spain—where it is calledcacerolada ([kaθeɾoˈlaða]) or, in Catalan,cassolada)—and in other countries, like theNetherlands, where it's calledlawaaidemonstratie (noise protest).
The word comes fromSpanishcacerola, which means "stew pot". Thederivativesuffixes-azo and-ada denote a hitting (punching or striking) action.[1] This type of demonstration started in 1971 in Chile, against the shortages of food during theadministration of Salvador Allende.[2][3]
When this manner of protest was practiced inCanada,[4] in English it was referred to by most media as "casseroles" rather than the Spanish termcacerolazo. In thePhilippines, the unrelated term "noise barrage" is used for this and a wider set of protest-oriented noisemaking. During theMartial Law period, a noise barrage was held on the eve of the1978 elections for theInterim Batasang Pambansa, to protest against the authoritarian government ofPresidentFerdinand Marcos.
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One of the largest cacerolazos occurred inArgentina during 2001, consisting largely of protests anddemonstrations bymiddle-class people who had seen their savings trapped in the so-calledcorralito (a set of restrictive economic measures that effectively froze allbank accounts, initially as a short-term fix for the massive draining ofbank deposits). Thecorralito meant that many people who needed a large amount of cash immediately, or who simply lived off the interests from their deposits, suddenly found their savings unavailable. As court appeals were slow and ineffective, people resorted to protest in the streets.
As the Argentine peso quicklydevalued and foreign currency fled the country, the government decreed a forced conversion ofdollar-denominated accounts into pesos at an arbitraryexchange rate of 1.4 pesos per dollar. At this point the unavailability of cash for people trapped in thecorralito compounded with the continuous loss of value of their savings, and the unresponsiveness of the appeal authorities (minor courts and theSupreme Court itself) further angered the protesters.
The firstcacerolazos were spontaneous and non-partisan. While in Argentina most demonstrations against government measures are customarily organized bylabour union activists and low-level political recruiters among the lower classes, and often featuring an assortment of large banners, drums and pyrotechnic devices,cacerolazos were composed mostly of spontaneously gathered middle-class workers, who otherwise had little to no involvement ingrassroots political actions of any kind.
Thecacerolazo later led to organised street protests, often of a violent nature, directed against the government and banks. Facades were spray-painted, windows broken, entrances blocked bytire fires and some building occupied by force.
In order to avoid further unrest, especially after theDecember 2001 riots, the government decided against a more forceful approach against thecacerolazos unless absolutely necessary and restricted police presence to barricades in critical spots.
Isolatedcacerolazos also featured during theapagón ("blackout") of September 24, 2002, to protest against increases in public service fees requested by the providers. As the financial and macroeconomic conditions became more stable, the government loosened the restrictions on the withdrawal of deposits, and thecacerolazos ceased.
On March 25, 2008, a group led byLuis D'Elía, a supporter of the Kirchner administration, and a cacerolazo violently faced each other during the demonstrations for and against the export tax policy ofCristina Kirchner's government.[5][6][7][8]
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On May 31, 2012, a nationwide cacerolazo took place with a massive following of approximately ten thousand people in the capital alone. The march was organised on the internet and was in protest of the Kirchnerite government, specifically against the introduction of controls on the foreign currency exchange market byCristina Kirchner's government, rampant crime rates, a sense of disruption and infringement of civil rights due to increasingly interventionist policies by theAFIP tax agency, including a fiscal reform in Buenos Aires province that would more than triple the land property tax, income tax rates unadjusted according to real inflation, persevering high inflation, a devalued currency, the inability to save money and alleged corruption charges against government and policymakers.[9][10][11] These protests were followed by further cacerolazos on May 31 and June 1.[9][10][11]
On June 7, there was a cacerolazo with a concentration of around a thousand people inPlaza de Mayo and in Buenos Aires's avenues intersections of upper-class neighbourhoods.[12] The following week, June 14, another gathering in Plaza de Mayo was attended by a just a few hundred.[13]
On September 13, thousands of Argentines marched in the largest protestssince 2008 against the government of President Cristina Fernandez, who, according to an opinion poll by Management & Fit,[14] had lost popularity since her landslide re-election the previous year (this point was contested by the research company Equis, whose CEO Artemio López stated that the popularity indexes remained stable[15]). The event raised a noticeable polemic, as news coverage from most government-aligned newspapers and TV broadcasters was reduced to a minimum, and government officials' claim regarding that the cacerolazo only represented a small and minority portion of the population.[16]
Another protest was made on November 8, commonly known as8N amongst the country, principally in theObelisco and thePlaza de Mayo, and around the world in the major cities of Spain, the US, Canada, Brazil, France, the UK and bordering countries. The latter was also called withinFacebook andTwitter, though in contrast to the one on September 13, which had over 50,000 people, 250,000 were present at the 8N. The main complaints were, again the February rail accident victims, inflation and the rejection of the possible "re-re-election" of Kirchner, but also insecurity and theLey de Medios. Again,Todo Noticias dedicated to transmit it completely, while other media supporting the president, such asAmérica TV andC5N, in which a reporter was knocked down[17] were also present. The president of theAsociación Mutual Israelita Argentina, Guillermo Borger, described the presence of swastikas during the protest march held by anti-government sectors in the Plaza de Mayo and other parts of the country as "reprehensible and abominable"."There is nothing that can justify the presence of these symbols", which recalled "the aberrant moment in the history of mankind," the official told the agency that plays Jewish News (AJN).[18]
Cacerolazos are known in Brazil aspanelaços (from the Portuguese word for potpanela).Panelaços were first popularized in protests against then-PresidentDilma Rousseff in 2015, when Brazilians would bang pots from the windows and balconies of their apartments during Rousseff's televised speeches.[19]
The popularity ofpanelaços resurfaced in 2020, amid theglobal pandemic of COVID-19, to protest PresidentJair Bolsonaro. Motives for the protests have included Bolsonaro's downplaying of the pandemic crisis and his dismissal of Justice ministerSergio Moro.[20][21]
In 2012 inQuébec citizens were using cacerolazo after the adoption on 18 May ofBill 78, an act which restricts rights to assemble after peaceful protests were met with police violence inMontreal andVictoriaville. Bill 78, aimed at restoring access to education for those students who disagreed with the general strike and at protecting businesses and citizens from any violence that might occur as a result of a protest, has been criticized by theUnited Nations, theQuebec Bar Association,Amnesty International, and others. Court challenges against the bill are underway.
A large number of "casseroles" or "pots and pans demonstrations" were held in towns and cities across the province, with the largest ones being primarily concentrated in Montreal's various neighbourhoods.[22][23] More protests outside the Province of Quebec (over 66 other Canadian locations) were held in solidarity with the student protesters, including cities and towns such as Vancouver, Calgary,[24] Saskatoon,[25] Winnipeg,[4] Hamilton,[26] Sudbury,[27] Tatamagouche,[28] and Halifax.[29]
In 2004, a song namedLibérez-nous des libéraux (Liberate Us From Liberals) was written, which prophesied "Need to rush into the street / like a spring flood / shattering our discontent / a debacle of pans / enough talking, make noise / a charivari to topple the party / as in Argentine, in Bolivia".[30] On June 15, 2012, when the same band played a gig at Francofolies, they asked everybody to bring their pans and spoons.[31]
Cacerolazos began in Chile in 1971 in protest of food shortages[32] during theSalvador Allende administration, with the empty pots symbolising the difficulties of households in obtaining enough food to feed families. They were initially led and driven by women, representing household economic stresses as distinct from the industrial protests representing business-related financial stresses. By 1973 they had become commonplace as protests against the administration intensified amid increasing shortages. AfterAugusto Pinochetseized power in 1973 cacerolazos disappeared for a time until theeconomic crisis of 1982-83 set in. Thereafter cacerolazos continued up until the Pinochet regime lost aplebiscite in 1988 that put him out of office two years later.
Cacerolazos were organized in 2011 for two different reasons. On May 15 there was pot-banging in several cities in protest of theHidroAysén dam project.[33] Then in August there were twocacerolazos across the country in support ofstudent protests, the first on August 4[34] and a second one on August 8.[35]
On November 18 there was anothercacerolazo because of the murder of aMapuche farmer,Camilo Catrillanca, at the hands of Chile's anti-terrorist police unit "Comando Jungla" (Jungle Command) in the community of Temucuicui, in Chile's Araucania Region on November 14. He was working with his tractor near his home when he was shot in the back of his head; 5 other people resulted injured.[36][37]
After October 18, 2019,cacerolazos were organized during the protests originally motivated by the Santiago Subway company increase in the price of the metro ticket (see2019 Chilean protests).
A cacerolazo inQuito, Ecuador occurred on October 12 during the2019 Ecuadorian protests in spite of (or because of) a government-mandated curfew. Both sides claimed that the cacerolazo had been organized by them to support their cause.[citation needed] The following day,indigenous peoples met with theMoreno government for a dialogue and the protests were resolved.
Under theJuly monarchy, republican opponents of the new regime used this practice during their demonstrations. It reached a national scale in 1832, during which a hundred of these events were combined.[38] In 1961, this phenomenon reappeared as a form of popular protest by thepieds-noirs in favor of maintainingFrench Algeria, against theGaullist policy of self-determination and independence of the country. During nightly concerts, often organized by theorganisation armée secrète, inhabitants banged on pots and pans from terraces and balconies, striking three quick blows followed by two more widely spaced ones to communicate "Al-gé-rie fran-çaise" (French Algeria) in a style reminiscent of telegraphy.[39]
In 2016, among the strikes and demonstrations against theEl Khomri law, "casseroles debout" (in reference to the social movementnuit debout), were organized in 350 cities for "exchanges, debates, aperitif".[40]
Thesecasseroles gradually gained momentum in 2023 during the2023 French pension reform unrest. On Monday, April 3, 2023, 2,000 people participated in one such demonstration inNantes. A national call to participate incasseroles was issued by some associations in response toEmmanuel Macron's televised address after the promulgation of the law. More than 370 casserole protests took place according to the associationAttac France.[41]
The protests following the financial crisis that started in 2008 are sometimes calledThe Kitchenware Revolution, because people took to the streets banging on pots and pans and other household utensils.[citation needed]
On March 22, 2020, at 5 PM IST for 5 minutes, Indians across the country used sauce pans and other kitchen utensils to make noise to show their appreciation and support to all the service men and women on the front line for the fight against coronavirus.
More than a billion people in India voluntarily stayed indoors for 14 hours to try to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi told citizens that it would be a test in order to assess the country's ability to fight the virus and to come out on their balconies at 5 pm and make noise with bells or kitchen utilities as a show of support.[42]
In 2019,nationwide protests erupted in Lebanon on October 17 following years of political corruption and economic instability. Protesters inSaida,Tripoli, and Beirut, as well as many other cities and regions in the country, took to banging on pots and kitchen utensils from their balconies. This technique was also integrated into street protests.[43] Online calls were circulated to repeat this form of demonstration every day at 8:00 P.M.
In 2006, during theOaxaca protests that saw thousands occupy their city following the police repression of teachers' strike, 5000 women marchers banged pots and pans with spoons and meat tenderizers.[44] Their march took them through the city squares and to outside the state-run television station channel 9. The women demanded a one-hour slot to report on the people's story of what was happening inOaxaca; a story that was censored and skewed by government propaganda against the protesters. When the station refused the women, still carrying their pots and pans, entered the building and took over the station. They carried out live broadcasts of the people's struggles.[45]
In 2017 and 2018,Hirak Rif or Rif Movement activists in the Rif region used cacerolazo to protest against Morocco's politics in the Rif region.[citation needed]
Following thecoup d'état in 2021, most people living in Myanmar banged on pots and pans around 8 at night to express their opposition to the military takeover.[46] It is believed to be a traditional method of warding off evil spirits.[47]
During the summer of 2019, Puerto Rico endured a political and constitutional crisis caused by indictments on corruption charges of cabinet officials, and revelations of aTelegram chat group led by the sitting governor, Ricardo Rosselló. This chat group included government officials and lobbyists, and revealed that the governor and other participants made homophobic, misogynistic, and other prejudicial comments which also mocked the dead and other victims ofHurricane Maria, as well as threatened and defamed political opponents, the press, and others who they considered not to be allied with their government. The country erupted in protests, and for 15 straight days, all sectors of Puerto Rican society took to the streets in peaceful protests. Cacerolazos were a key expression of public rage and took place in front of the executive mansion, in public plazas across the islands, from the balconies of condominiums, the patios of homes, and other public settings. The governor eventually resigned as a result of these protests, which led to a constitutional crisis of succession. In less than a week Puerto Rico had three different occupants in the governor's office, and to date the crisis has not yet been fully resolved.[citation needed]
In 1996, during theprotests that broke out against electoral fraud inlocal elections, people banged on pots and made noise through their windows during theDnevnik 2 (7:30 to 8:00 PM) to express dissatisfaction with its reporting, which was widely perceived as biased in favor of the government.[48]
In April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, people banged on pots to protest the curfew and other measures imposed by the Serbian government to curb the spread of the disease.[49]
Pandorga,mojingas,rondas de mozos,matracas or simplycencerradas were the terms to refer in Spain to mocking rituals in which folks took part in using kitchenware and/or similar utensils. It is however difficult to trace a historical continuity betweencencerradas and modern daycaceroladas.[50]
A majority of Spaniards were against theIraq War[51] and provoked during 2003 cacerolazo-fashioned protests against the government decision to support it.[52] People protested from their homes turning lights on and off, making noise withwhistles andklaxons and hitting stew pots. In Huescalamp posts of 16 streets were turned off in protest for 15 minutes.
During the call for ageneral strike in the region of Catalonia in October 2017, nationalist parties protested the response ofKing Felipe VI with cacerolazo.[53]
A widespreadcacerolada from the balconies of cities across Spain was organised on 18 March 2020 counterprogramming the TV discourse of Felipe VI on theongoing COVID-19 pandemic, intending to force king emeritusJuan Carlos to donate to public healthcare the €100M he had allegedly obtained through kickbacks from Saudi Arabia.[54][55]
A number ofcaceroladas have been called throughout the country in the months of April and May 2020 to protest against the Government management of the Coronavirus crisis.[56][57]
During the2013 protests in Turkey when late at night after May 31 people in central Istanbul were forced to go to their homes due to the high amounts of tear gas, they continued protesting from their homes by banging pots and pans. About half past one the entire city started to reverberate.[58] This also functioned to create awareness of the situation since the self-censorship of media prevented people from being informed about the scale of the protests. After the first day, this form of protest continued, starting every evening at 9pm, and lasting a few minutes.
After the2013 presidential election on 15 April millions ofCapriles supporters banged their pots and pans in the streets and from their windows after Capriles refused to accept the results, asked for a recount, and told the whole country to protest during a power cut of three hours in some places nationwide. The next day, Capriles supporters continued the cacerolazo, asking for a recount. Similar concentrations were observed all over the world, particularly in South and Central Florida, where a lot of Venezuelan citizens reside, most of them Capriles sympathizers. It was none other than Capriles himself who called for a "cacerolazo" to denounce the election results, after the National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela the official winner in the snap presidential elections held the previous day.[59]
Several cacerolazos took place during the2014 Venezuelan protests. On August, the MUD reactivated protests by calling on supporters to hold a nationwide cacerolazo at 8:00 pm local time against the new proposed fingerprint rationing system.[60][61] The cacerolazo took place in several states.[62]
After marches on a national level to Caracas to demand arecall referendum on 2016, opposition leaderChúo Torrealba called for a cacerolazo.[63] While Maduro was inaugurating houses of theGran Misión Barrio Nuevo, Barrio Tricolor, people from Villa Rosa,Nueva Esparta state, received him with a cacerolazo.[64] At least 30 persons were detained by theBolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) after the cacerolazo in Villa Rosa.[65]
During the2017 Venezuelan protests, many cacerolazos also took place. On 15 June cacerolazos were held in Caracas, where the banging pots were heard throughout the capital city.[66] After the results of the2018 presidential election were read, whereNicolás Maduro was declared re-elected, many Venezuelans throughout Caracas started a cacerolazo protest against Maduro, with some beginning to barricade streets.[67]
During theVenezuelan presidential crisis, on 21 January 2019, a group of National Guardsmen rose up in Cotiza, inCaracas.[68] Neighbors nearby started acacerolazo and a demonstration in support of the officers. Government forces repressed the protestors with tear gas and the uprising was quelled quickly.[69] People in Caracas also held cacerolazos during the2019 blackouts to protest against the outages.[70]
WhenRadio Caracas Televisión (Radio Caracas Television, RCTV) was forcefully shut down by the Venezuelan government in May 2007 after their broadcast licence was not renewed, and replaced withTVes, Cacerolazo protests formed around the country to protest against the closedown of the channel, which was the longest living public channel? in Venezuela.[citation needed] Although the channel was dead on terrestrial, it started up again later in June 2007? asRCTV Internacional (RCTV International) as a pay TV channel, and lasted nearly 3 years until it was shut down again in late January 2010. RCTV had moved to cable in 2007 after the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez refused to renew its terrestrial license, which brought up the2007 RCTV protests in Venezuela. In 2010, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had taken six cable television channels off the air, including RCTV International, for breaking a law on transmitting government material. The government had urged cable services to drop channels ignoring the rules.[71]
