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Protestors took the streets around the world this weekend — over cronyism in Japan, the detention of separatist leaders in Spain, authoritarianism in Hungary, rape scandals in India and airstrikes in Syria.

The bigger picture: The U.S. isn't the only country living through a period of protest and political unrest.

Tokyo, Japan: Tens of thousands of protestors demonstrated outside of Japanese parliament this weekend to urge Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resign over cronyism scandals, per Bloomberg. 

Barcelona, Spain: Hundreds of thousands of Catalans demonstrated this weekend to call for the release of 9 separatist leaders, who were detained for holding a referendum on independence from Spain in October, per the BBC.

Budapest, Hungary: Tens of thousands of Hungarians took to the streets Saturday over what they consider a flawed election, and the increasingly authoritarian direction of the country under Viktor Orbán, per Reuters.

Across India (Mumbai, Puducherry, Goa, Bengaluru, Kolkata): Thousands have been protesting across India after a series of high-profile rape cases in the country, including the rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in Kashmir, CNN reports. Some held vigils for the victim, while others rallied in support of the men accused of the crime.

Major cities in Iraq (Baghdad, Basra, Najaf): Thousands protested the U.S., French, and British airstrikes in Syria this weekend, NPR reports. The protests were led by Muqtada Sadr, a powerful Shiite cleric.

A weekend of protests around the world

Taking to the streets in Japan, Catalonia, Hungary, India and Iraq

Protestors are lit up with red light and hold up phones lit up bright white.

Protesters in Budapest, Hungary this weekend. Photo: Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images

World

Protests

Politics

Protestors took the streets around the world this weekend — over cronyism in Japan, the detention of separatist leaders in Spain, authoritarianism in Hungary, rape scandals in India and airstrikes in Syria.The bigger picture: The U.S. isn&#x27;t the only country living through a period of protest and political unrest.

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

A weekend of protests around the world

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