Moment of the whirlwind

A moment of the whirlwind is a rupture with the normal workings of society resulting in a wave of new activist waters for a cause or movement. At such times, it is useful for a movement to have established a retention plan in order to absorb active supporters. Moments of the whirlwind constitute social crises that can be consciously perpetrated by social movements. -Mark and Paul Engler

Examples of moment of the whirlwind

The Three Mile Island power plant in 1979	Just days after the plant had an accident, a previously planned anti-nuclear rally in San Francisco that ordinarily might have attracted hundreds of participants instead drew a crowd of 25,000.
Rosa parks arrest	The 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus prompted a community-wide boycott in Montgomery, Alabama,
Wet'suwet'en Raids	The violent raids by military and RCMP on Wet'suwet'en land defenders that occured in 2020 can be considered a trigger event, as numerous civil disobedience actions sprung up in solidarity after the incident.

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