By Silje Pileberg
It is not only in social media that we express our opinions. Meeting face to face in order to protest may be more important than ever, says rhetorician Kristian Bjørkdahl.
“It’s easy to think that meeting physically to express our political views has become less important because of social media. But I believe the opposite to be true: many people are dissatisfied with social media, where the conversation can be very polarised,” says Associate Professor in political rhetoric Kristian Bjørkdahl at the University of Oslo.

According to the researcher, we speak more harshly and allow ourselves to say far more online than we do when we meet in real life.

“This gives us a reason to reach out to people in person and try another approach. Besides, digital mobilisation rarely achieves much on its own. In the final analysis, the power of a democracy depends on people coming together.”

One of Norway’s most important arenas for protest

On a global scale, there is little evidence that we express all our discontent digitally. According to the organisation Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), the number of demonstrations has been very high in recent years, especially in countries such as India and the USA.

In Norway the situation is calmer, but topics like Sami rights, the Israel–Palestine conflict and climate issues still generate engagement. Eidsvolls plass, the square in front of the Norwegian Parliament in Oslo, is one of the country’s most important locations for protest. The square hosts over 700 demonstrations each year.

Bjørkdahl has spent the past two years doing fieldwork on the square together with researcher Iben Brinch (uib.no). He has been there several times a week, talking with those who hold events there.

Among the questions he asks are: What happens at Eidsvolls plass? Why do people meet there specifically? And why do they choose to gather physically rather than expressing themselves on digital platforms?

Protest can have major political impact

Some of the first people Bjørkdahl observed were the so called Fosen-protesters, who occupied the square with Sámi lavvo tents in 2023 to protest against the wind power plant at Fosen in the region of Trøndelag.

The construction had been declared invalid by the Supreme Court of Norway because it violated the Sámi right to practise their culture.

“That brought the square’s symbolic significance to the surface,” Bjørkdahl says.

In 1979, a group of Sámi went on hunger strike at Eidsvolls plass to protest the development of the Alta–Kautokeino river system. The watercourse was developed despite the protest, but the Alta case led to a complete reform of the Norwegian Sámi policy.

“Sometimes, what happens in this square has real political consequences. Many people are aware of this.”

A wide range of users

The people and interests who meet at Eidsvolls plass are varied and have very different access to resources, Bjørkdahl notes. One highly strategic actor is The Norwegian Farmers’ Union.

“They deliberately connect with political processes; they are insiders who sometimes choose to position themselves outside. If something is at stake, they can organise huge demonstrations with many celebrities. In other instances, they hand out food and talk to passers by.”

A very different interest group is the Ukrainian Association in Norway. They stand in the square every day: a small group, facing one another. They hold large Ukrainian flags while hundreds of passers by hurry past.

Here, the motivation seems to be about meeting and showing support for the cause, Bjørkdahl believes.

“Many view Eidsvolls plass as a place with rhetorical effect: they stand in front of the Norwegian Parliament and can reach people politically. But not everyone thinks that way. A Palestine group explained that yes, they want change, but the main purpose of gathering on the square is to meet others who have friends and family in Palestine.”

Not surprising that people are protesting in the USA

The level of protest in the USA has been high recently. In 2025 there were more than twice as many demonstrations against Donald Trump as in the first year of his previous presidential term. These figures come from the Crowd Counting Consortium, a joint project between Harvard University and the University of Connecticut. (theguaridan.com)

“It is not surprising that people in the USA are protesting. Many people feel that the system has stopped working. Posting on social media or writing an opinion piece won’t help them. When fascism spreads, people must take to the streets and make themselves heard and seen,” says Bjørkdahl.

According to the researcher, this is exactly when many people protest: when they feel the system is failing, or when other channels of communication are unavailable.

Only natural that many issues concern foreign affairs

In Norway, people generally believe that things work quite well. The need to mobilise strength against those in power is not huge.

“Demonstrations are often, though not always, attempts by the powerless to gain more influence. That partly explains why so many of the issues seen at Eidsvolls plass concern matters abroad, like the Ukraine and Palestine. Those are situations marked by far greater powerlessness than what prevails in Norway.”

But there are also political issues in Norway that many people feel are not taken seriously enough by those in power, Bjørkdahl adds.

“For example, we like to present ourselves as a driving force of climate policy. Meanwhile, we are also a major petroleum nation. The so called ‘Climate Roar’ that filled Eidsvolls plass a few years ago was reportedly the largest climate demonstration in Norway’s history.”