It hasn't happened yet, but will Americans start worrying about congregating in public spaces, whether it is to protest, attend large rallies or go to concerts?
Whether it was to protest Vladimir Putin's treatment of Garry Kasparov, an outspoken Putin critic, or it was to protest Garry Kasparov for being anti-Kremlin is really hard to tell, but the meaning was probably clear to the people in the room who knew what the press conference was about.
The dynamic is so entrenched, in fact, that the city runs a daily Internet alert, noting what groups are scheduled to protest, whether they are likely to disrupt traffic and dispensing advisories to commuters.
They are primarily interested in how many other individuals are going to protest and whether those participants are first-time protesters or not [14].
Asked whether the protest, which is viewed by some residents of Lower Manhattan as disruptive, should be shut down, the governor said: "The right to protest and free speech is a big part of this democracy, and I'll leave that to the local officials.
But while she has vowed to protest the changes, it is unclear whether she will go further on Tuesday and push for early elections after she meets with her party leaders.
With the economy, the government and the media merely zombie institutions, many of the demonstrators said, the only measure open to outraged citizens is protest, whether online or offline.
For a time, Eure's office remained silent even as the city was deafened with protest, whether it was on the streets or at the funerals of fallen cops Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.
"It is time for the leadership of the police service to shove their heads above the parapet and start leading; telling those officers who will be policing these protests whether to stand back and keep their fingers crossed or come forward and ensure that the law is upheld".
The question raised by the wave of protests spreading across the Middle East is not whether to deal with autocrats, but how to deal with them.When strongmen are vulnerable, as now, the priority is to push them towards reform and away from violence.
