Demonstracje równoczesne i problem pomiaru „siły liczb”
Simultaneous Demonstrations and the Problem of Measuring ‘Power in Numbers’

Summary/Abstract: The argument about street demonstrations that the ‘power is in numbers’ in common not only inside the academy. Opinions on the success or failure, the under- or over-estimation of demonstrators, are part of the popular narratives around the politics of contention. The simultaneity of demonstrations, taking place in multiple locations, changes these discussions significantly. In the first part of the article the theoretical conceptualizations of turnout and numbers in protests are recalled. The author introduces the concept of simultaneous demonstrations, pointing to their features such as spontaneity, convergence, integration, multiplication and multiscalarity. Taking the case of the protests against restrictive abortion law in Poland, in autumn 2020, the author indicates possible ways of studying simultaneous demonstrations. The data from Zachodniopomorskie voivodeship show that ‘power in numbers’ does not mean only the turnout, but also refers to the multiplication of demonstrations and to non-quantified features, such as the ‘novelty’ of the claims. In the conclusions, the issues unresolved in previous research are discussed.

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