COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges, New Grievances, and Tactical Innovation: A Case Study on Fridays for Future movement in Ankara, Bursa, Eskişehir, and Istanbul

The modus operandi of social movements is tremendously affected by times of crisis, as social movements reflect the atmosphere of the society and the time they are in. Although "crisis" is not a new concept for studying social movements, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis had significant repercussions for all social movements. Despite authoritarian governments’ attempts to control cyberspace during this time, the internet has been an important source of information for citizens in times of need for many years. This study aims to understand of how social movements adapt to the pandemic challenges in societies where there was already an oppressive government? This study is a single case in-depth review of the Fridays for Future movement in Turkey. Turkey's FFF movement is a typical case, as it is a representative of a social movement under (competitive) authoritarian regimes, and it is a relevant case because it is a young, emerging movement in an authoritarian context. With a qualitative approach, this study conducts a descriptive analysis rather than using a classical hypothesis testing approach, given that the literature on the COVID-19 pandemic is relatively new and does not have a solid theoretical background yet. Semi-structured interviews with activists who are actively taking part in the FFF movement on the local and national levels yielded the following findings. While the movement is still struggling to adapt to the new challenges that came into existence with the pandemic such as communication problems, losing visibility, and lack of motivation, the activists pointed out that they actively respond to these new challenges by tactical innovation. In such times, employing a hybrid strategy of on- and offline protests allowed the movement to ensure its presence in the public sphere. They were able to get a wider audience's attention by preparing webinars and panels. Hence, despite all the difficulties they have faced, they managed to stay active in this period and planned some offline activities. The adaptation period to the new normal under the pandemic conditions for the FFF movement was long, due mainly to communication problems and lack of motivation. Pandemic-related grievances made the activists realize that the arbitrary practices of the government are only applicable in the public spaces. In the online sphere, they have "freedom from the government's control". Finally, this paper provides insight into an environmental movement in an authoritarian setting and addresses the discussion in the literature on the pandemic challenges for social movements under authoritarian regimes.