the.com/protester

means A person who publicly objects to something, usually by showing up in numbers to make that objection impossible to ignore.

from From 'protest,' which traces back to Latin 'protestari' — 'pro' (forth) plus 'testari' (to testify, from 'testis,' a witness). So at its root, to protest is simply to 'testify forth' — to declare something publicly and formally, bearing witness to your view. The word originally leaned toward solemn declaration (even affirmation) before narrowing, over the centuries, toward objection — the public witnessing of a grievance rather than a fact.