A human chain is a form of demonstration in which people link their arms as a show of political solidarity.
The number of demonstrators involved in a human chain is often disputed; the organizers of the human chain often report higher numbers than governmental authorities.
Notable human chains, in chronological order, have included:
| Date | Event | Location | Number of participants | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Berkshire, England, United Kingdom | 40,000 - 80,000 | Protested siting of American nuclear missiles in West Germany. | |
| May 25, 1986 | Hands Across America | Across United States | 5,000,000 | Charitable event to raise money to fight hunger. |
| August 23, 1989 | Baltic Way | Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania | 2,000,000 | Called for independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Was followed by a similar chain on August 23, 1991, with people holding candles. |
| January 21, 1990 | Reunion Day | Lviv–Kiev, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine) | 450,000 (according to Soviet militsiya); around 3,000,000 (according to organizers) | Marking the 71st anniversary of the Act Zluky, an agreement unifying the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic. |
| 1997 | XII World Youth Day, 1997 | Paris, France | 400,000 | A 36 km ring surrounding Paris facing outwards, symbolically calling for peace. |
| 16 May 1998 | Jubilee 2000 Human Chain | Birmingham, UK | 70,000 - 100,000 | The first Chain demonstration by Jubilee 2000, a coalition of church and faith groups, overseas development agencies and others at the G8 Summit in Birmingham, UK, to highlight the indebted poverty of many poor countries and the need for the G8, World Bank and IMF to act to remit that debt. The Chain surrounded Birmingham city center including the International Convention Center. |
| September 8, 1999 | Protest against violence in East Timor | Lisbon | over 300,000 | A 20 km ring connecting the United Nations delegation and the embassies of Russia, China, UK, France and the US in Lisbon, calling for the end of violence in East Timor. |
| 2000 | Latin American Jubilee 2000 | Germany | 50,000 | Called for debt forgiveness for developing nations. |
| July 25, 2004 | Israeli Chain | Gush Katif (Jewish communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip, Israel), to the Western Wall, Jerusalem (90 kilometers) | 130,000 (according to police); 200,000 (according to organizers) | Opposing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Disengagement Plan which involves dismantling of Jewish communities and settlements of Gush Katif. |
| May 1, 2006 | Great American Boycott | New York City. (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn Bronx) | 12,000 (according to CNN ) | Protesting H.R. 4437, a bill in Congress to toughen immigration checks. |
| February 25, 2008 | Gaza Chain | Gaza | 20,000 | Protesting Israeli blockade of Gaza |
| September 1, 2008 | "Stop Russia" campaign | Georgia | 1,000,000 (according to the Georgian authorities) | Protesting Russian military intervention |
| October 24, 2008 | 2009 Tamil protests in India | Chennai, India | 100,000 - 150,000 | Protesting the violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Civil War. |
| December 13, 2008 | "Mumbai citizens form human chain to protest attacks" | Mumbai, India | 60,000 | Protesting Against the terror attacks that took place in Mumbai on the 26th of November 2008 |
| January 28, 2009 | 2009 Tamil protests in Canada | Toronto, Canada | 20,000 | Protesting the violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Civil War. |
| June 9, 2009 | Green Chain, Iran's Presidential Election 2009 Iranian Election Protests |
Tehran, Iran | 18,000 - 30,000 | In support of Mir-Hossein Mousavi |
| October 2, 2009 | Kerala CPM, 2009 ASEAN agreement Protest |
Kerala, India | 3,000,000 - 4,000,000+ (30 to 40 lakh according to estimates made by organizers before the protest) | Protesting against the ASEAN and New Delhi free trade agreement |
| February 3, 2010 | Telangana JAC, Telangana Human Chain |
Andhra Pradesh, India | 5,000,000 | The people of Telangana formed a 500 kilometers-long human chain all along the National Highway number 7 from Adilabad on the northern most tip of the region to Alampur on the borders of Kurnool district, to press their demand for forming a separate state. |
A 'human chain' may also refer to people holding on to each other in series to reach precarious spots. A young girl was rescued from a cliff in California via this method. It may also refer to people walking shoulder-to-shoulder in the event of searching for missing persons in water or on land.
Famous quotes containing the words human and/or chain:
“The common goal of 22 million Afro-Americans is respect as human beings, the God-given right to be a human being. Our common goal is to obtain the human rights that America has been denying us. We can never get civil rights in America until our human rights are first restored. We will never be recognized as citizens there until we are first recognized as humans.”
—Malcolm X (1925–1965)
“Nae living man I’ll love again,
Since that my lovely knight is slain.
Wi ae lock of his yellow hair
I’ll chain my heart for evermair.”
—Unknown. The Lament of the Border Widow (l. 25–28)