Should children under age 18 be allowed at protest ?

I wouldn't call this "protesting" but "agitation". Protesting is civil disobedience. Speaking up peacefully to get your voice heard. Agitation is intentionally causing disruption.

It is very difficult to say whether children should be allowed in "protests". It can be very dangerous and life threatening. At the same time some children especially teenagers are quite mature and capable of understanding what is going on. A lot of the issues being protested are relevant to their lives and futures. Sometimes it is imperative that they participate in.

A lot of teenagers did participate in the vigils and marches after the Nirbhaya rape case. Some parents also showed up with their sons and daughters. It was an important teaching moment for the community. Similarly, a lot of Anna Hazare's protests also had several teenage protesters and families showing up - some with little kids to great grandparents.

Over here it is very common place to see very young children at protests too. A lot of parents believe that protests are a way that they can share their values with children. Since Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Tony Robinson were teens and kids a lot of the protests were actually organized by high school groups. Teenagers themselves staged walk-outs. Whenever there have been budget cuts proposed to schools a lot of teenagers have showed up at public hearings to oppose them. The anti-war protests, the gay rights protests, even the labor bill protests all had young children showing up with banners and picket signs because that is what their parents believed.

The important thing for both sides to remember in a protest is that there should be some order and decorum. Protests can be peaceful and civil. Protests can escalate and turn violent. It didn't take a lot of Ferguson to turn into rioting. A lot of anti-austerity European protests degenerated in the same way. On the other hand Madison was peaceful with protestors blocking main throughfares for an entire day without incident.

Historically, teens have always participated in protests and revolutions. French Revolution, Russian Revolution and even India's struggle for independence had hundreds of teen participants who valued the cause more than their life.

It is an individual call. I may not see something as worth it. But someone may consider it to vital to sit out.

Originally posted by: _Angie_

Most 15 year olds are intelligent enough to understand that hurling stones at anyone can cause grievous injuries and pain. Surely they don't expect the cops or anyone else to shower rose petals in response. Why blame the cops or parents? Not sure what bullets the cops had been using that only one boy was hurt in the firing.

But as per the report the boy's uncle has claimed that the boy wasn't shot during the protest but first detained before he was shot point blank in presence of other protestors. If true, that is a valid and serious allegation against the cops and needs to be investigated.

These pictures definitely look like rioting than protests. Teenagers who engage in rioting should be culpable under the law.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05lvkpaqxME[/YOUTUBE]