A city square is more than a patch of open ground surrounded by roads, buildings and monuments. Across the world, some of the most recognisable public spaces have acquired their identities not merely from their architecture or historical significance, but from the voices that have gathered there. They have witnessed demands for political change, struggles for civil rights, movements for economic justice and demonstrations that have altered the course of national history.
The denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site in Delhi has brought renewed attention to an enduring question: should demonstrations be confined to locations away from the centres of political and administrative power, or does the right to peaceful assembly also require meaningful access to the heart of a city?
From Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park to Union Square in New York, Lafayette Square in Washington, Place de la Bastille in Paris and Taksim Square in Istanbul, public demonstrations have long occupied prominent urban locations. Others, including Cairo's Tahrir Square and Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti, have become symbols of transformative political movements.
These spaces operate under different legal systems, and not all enjoy the same protections for public assembly. What connects them is their location within the civic life of their cities and their historical association with public expression.
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐น๐๐ฏ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฟ
Delhi itself has a long history of demonstrations at centrally located public spaces. The Boat Club lawns near India Gate once served as one of the capital's most prominent venues for political rallies and mass mobilisation. Their proximity to important government institutions made them a powerful setting for public demands directed at the political establishment.
After demonstrations were restricted at Boat Club, Jantar Mantar gradually emerged as the capital's best-known protest venue. Situated near Parliament Street and Connaught Place, it provided a relatively accessible location where political parties, farmers, workers, students, civil society organisations and individuals could bring their grievances into public view.
Over the years, Jantar Mantar became associated with movements ranging from anti-corruption campaigns and farmers' demands to protests concerning employment, gender justice and government policies. Its significance lay partly in its accessibility and partly in its proximity to institutions of power.
Ramlila Maidan remains another established venue for large gatherings and political demonstrations. Although centrally located, it does not occupy quite the same position within Delhi's administrative and political geography as Jantar Mantar or the former Boat Club protest grounds.
The debate surrounding Jantar Mantar is therefore not simply about identifying an alternative open space. It concerns the relationship between a demonstration's physical location and its ability to attract public attention.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
Few places illustrate the historical connection between public space and freedom of expression as clearly as Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park.
Located near the park's northeastern entrance, the site has been associated with public speeches and debate since the 19th century. An Act of Parliament in 1872 formally recognised the tradition of public speaking in the park.
Over the decades, figures including Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell have been associated with speeches and discussions at the location. Even today, Sunday gatherings draw speakers and listeners who debate politics, religion, philosophy and social issues.
The tradition is not one of unrestricted immunity from the law. Speakers remain subject to legal requirements, but the site's enduring significance lies in the acceptance of open public argument as a legitimate feature of city life.
Elsewhere in London, Trafalgar Square regularly hosts demonstrations on political, religious and social issues. Surrounded by major cultural institutions and historic buildings, the square is both a tourist landmark and a prominent location for civic gatherings.
Parliament Square and Whitehall occupy an even more politically significant position. Situated near the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and government offices, they have become focal points for demonstrations seeking the attention of lawmakers and the executive.
๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ'๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐
Across the Atlantic, Union Square in Manhattan has been associated with political activism, labour organising and public debate since the mid-19th century.
The square's history includes workers' demonstrations, rallies and gatherings linked to social and political causes. Its location within New York's densely populated urban landscape has helped preserve its importance as a meeting point for public expression.
Washington offers another example of demonstrations taking place close to the institutions they seek to influence.
Lafayette Square, immediately north of the White House, has hosted civil rights demonstrations, vigils and political protests for generations. Its proximity to the presidential residence gives public gatherings there a particular symbolic significance, even as security restrictions have changed over time.
The National Mall and the grounds around the US Capitol have also witnessed some of the country's most consequential public demonstrations.
The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, remembered for Martin Luther King Jr's historic speech, brought enormous crowds to the National Mall. The first Earth Day in 1970 also mobilised large numbers of Americans, helping establish environmental protection as a major public issue.
These events demonstrate how prominent public spaces can become settings in which social movements enter national political consciousness.
๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ'๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐
In Paris, Place de la Bastille remains closely associated with the French Revolution. The square occupies a special place in the country's political imagination, representing the overthrow of absolute monarchy and the emergence of modern republican ideals.
It continues to serve as a gathering point for trade unions, political organisations and citizens participating in marches and demonstrations. Its central location reinforces the historical association between public protest and political change.
Istanbul's Taksim Square has similarly witnessed decades of labour demonstrations, political gatherings and confrontations between protesters and authorities. The square became internationally prominent during the 2013 Gezi Park protests, which began over plans to redevelop a nearby green space and developed into a wider movement.
However, Taksim also illustrates the limits of comparing protest sites across countries. Despite its historical significance, access for demonstrations has frequently been restricted, and the square remains heavily policed during politically sensitive events.
๐ฆ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
Some public spaces have become inseparable from major political upheavals.
Cairo's Tahrir Square emerged as the defining symbol of Egypt's 2011 uprising, when enormous crowds gathered to demand the departure of President Hosni Mubarak. The square had already been associated with demonstrations, including the bread riots of 1977, but the 2011 movement gave it worldwide recognition.
Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, became the centre of Ukraine's Orange Revolution in 2004 and the Euromaidan protests of 2013โ14. Its name has become closely associated with popular mobilisation and political demands.
Beijing's Tiananmen Square is remembered internationally for the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations and the military crackdown that followed. Its history also shows that a square can be globally recognised as a site of protest even where authorities severely restrict political assembly.
These examples are reminders that the historical importance of a protest location does not necessarily mean demonstrations are freely permitted there today.
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ
Singapore's Hong Lim Park offers a different model. Its Speakers' Corner provides a designated outdoor venue for public speeches and demonstrations, although participation and events are governed by specific legal conditions.
In Latin America, Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires has long served as a centre of political expression. The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo became internationally known for gathering there to demand information about relatives who disappeared during Argentina's military dictatorship.
Mexico City's Zรณcalo, officially Plaza de la Constituciรณn, lies beside the National Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral. It has hosted political rallies, civic celebrations and demonstrations, placing public gatherings close to the country's principal institutions.
In Santiago, the area around Plaza Baquedano, also known as Plaza Italia and referred to by many protesters as Plaza de la Dignidad, became a focal point of Chile's mass demonstrations in 2019.
Nairobi's Uhuru Park has similarly served as an important gathering place for political rallies and civil society movements. The park has been associated with campaigns for democratic rights and public mobilisation, including demonstrations linked to Kenya's 2024 opposition to proposed tax increases.
Across these cities, prominent public spaces have allowed demonstrations to become visible beyond the immediate participants, even where restrictions or police interventions have accompanied them.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐
Delhi Police's latest decision identifies Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi as designated venues for demonstrations, replacing Jantar Mantar. The move follows recommendations of a committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry.
The new locations offer varying degrees of accessibility. Ramlila Maidan is approximately 3 km from Jantar Mantar, while CBD Ground is around 12 km away and Burari Ground about 21 km away.
For authorities, managing demonstrations involves legitimate concerns about security, emergency access, traffic movement and the rights of residents and businesses. Crowded administrative districts cannot accommodate unlimited gatherings without planning or restrictions.
Yet the international examples demonstrate that the presence of public demonstrations in central urban spaces is not inherently incompatible with the functioning of a modern city. Many capitals have developed arrangements involving designated routes, permissions, crowd-management measures and restrictions tailored to particular locations.
The deeper question is whether a protest venue provides citizens with a meaningful opportunity to be heard. A demonstration held near institutions of power carries a different symbolic and practical weight from one organised at a distant ground.
The world's famous protest squares are not identical, nor are they uniformly free from restrictions. But their histories establish an important principle: public spaces have often been central to the relationship between citizens and governments.
As Delhi redraws its map of designated protest venues, the experience of cities across the world offers a broader perspective on the balance between public order, urban accessibility and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.