Do disasters trigger protests? A conceptual view and review of the connection between disasters, injustice, and protests – the case of COVID-19

People around the globe were and are affected by the highly contagious virus SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus, COVID-19) far beyond the virus itself. Despite the high viral transmission, people did not stop acting collectively. Sometimes these collective actions were against government regulations to health and safety (e.g., anti-lockdown), or to deal with systemic injustice and inequality affecting specific groups (e.g., Black Lives Matter). In this conceptual paper, we discuss the relation between protests and disasters. More specifically we discuss the crucial element of perceived social injustice and inequality for protest to emerge during or in the aftermath of disasters. We review literature related to disasters and protests before moving on to the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss how the context of COVID-19 can have influenced protests as well as protests’ potential impact on viral transmission. We demonstrate that protests during or in the aftermath of disasters are not uncommon. Furthermore, we suggest a direct link between emergent or increased perceived injustice and inequality and protests during/after disasters.