die-in

plural die-ins

1. A form of protest where a group of people in a public area lie on the ground to simulate being dead.

   By reclaiming the streets through such actions as spontaneous (unpermitted) marches, critical mass bicycle convergences, or staged theatrics (such as the die-ins protesting the Iraq war), activists literally and rhetorically transform corporate space into public, autonomous zones.

   2010, Christina R. Foust, Transgression as a Mode of Resistance: Rethinking Social Movement in and Era of Corporate Globalization

   2 more examples

   The current die-ins are part of a movement to end police brutality against and the mass incarceration of black and brown people, and have drawn allies from different races, generations and faiths. When non-black participants join black people in die-ins, they affirm the need for institutional change – but they also visibly highlight the remaining disparities facing black and brown people.

   2014 December 19, Paul M Farber, “Die-ins demand that we bear witness to black people's fears that they'll be next”, in The Guardian Online

   The funeral is the culmination of Extinction Rebellion’s actions at London fashion week. They also staged a die-in outside one of the show venues on Friday and a swarm outside Victoria Beckham’s show on Sunday, with protesters holding placards reading “fashion = ecocide” and “the ugly truth about fashion”.

   2019 September 17, Lauren Cochrane, “Extinction Rebellion stage funeral at London fashion week finale”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: lie-in