sit-in

thumb|upright|Florida A&M University|FAMU student Benjamin Cowins during a 1961 sit-in at McCrory's lunch counter in Tallahassee, during [[Jim Crow]] thumb|A sit-in for climate action in Melbourne, Australia

A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to move unless their demands are met. The often clearly visible demonstrations are intended to spread awareness among the public, or disrupt the goings-on of the protested organization. Lunch counter sit-ins were a nonviolent form of protest used to oppose segregation during the 1954–1968 civil rights movement in the United States, and often provoked heckling and violence from those opposed to their message.