Participation yielding stigmatization? Demobilized rebels' protest involvement and public opinion
2026-07-14
While significant literature exists on the political participation of demobilized rebels in party politics, research on their participation in protests is scarce. However, protests are likely in societies transitioning from conflict, and demobilized rebels are likely participants. If the former rebels carry a negative image, for instance, due to wartime violence and atrocities, their participation may reduce protest support. Based on a survey experiment conducted in Colombia, this article examines whether demobilized rebels' participation in protests alters citizens' attitudes toward protests. Results show that former rebels' participation, particularly during protests involving vandalism, significantly reduces citizens' support for protests, whereas a name change of the rebel successor organization may mitigate this effect. The analysis contributes to our understanding of the extent to which former rebels' political participation is accepted, the effectiveness of stigmatization tactics employed by protest opponents, and how protesting outgroups may mitigate potential stigmatization.