Occupation (protest)

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An occupation, as an act of protest, is the entry into and holding of a building, space or symbolic site. As such, occupations often combine some of the following elements: a challenge to ownership of the space involved, an effort to gain public attention, the practical use of the facilities occupied, and a redefinition of the occupied space. Occupations maybe conducted nonviolently or with varying degrees of physical force to obtain and defend the place occupied. Occupations may be brief or they may extend for weeks, months or years. In cases of long-term occupation, the phrase protest camp may be nearly indistinguishable, although occupation often connotes the use of space without permission or in defiance of governmental authority.

Notable protest occupations include the Columbia Student Strike, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the American Indian Movement's occupation of Alcatraz, and the sit-down strike in Flint, Michigan.

Major forms of occupation as protest include:

• Sit-ins
• Sit-down strikes
• Peace camps conducted on disputed territory, e.g. at Camp Humphreys