Do protests ever work?

Do protests ever work? | FP Passport:

"...I would add that, at least in democratic societies, protests that demand accountability or consistency from 'the system' tend to be more effective than one that seek to overturn it. The U.S. civil rights movement was able to gain widespread support because its arguments were largely rooted in the constitution and christianity.

Recent examples of effective protests would be the unbelievably effective demonstrations in Pakistan that led to the reinstatement of chief justice Iftikhar Chaudry or the pro-Thaksin demonstrators who have Thailand's government on the brink of capitulation. Strangely, it also seems to be the case that demonstrations in partially free or inconsistently democratic societies tend to be the most effective."