demo
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demonstration
A public gathering of people to protest for or against something; a short form of Demonstration.
Am Samstag findet in der Innenstadt eine große Demo für den Klimaschutz statt.
On Saturday, a large demonstration for climate protection will take place in the city center.
'Demo' is a colloquial abbreviation. Depending on the context, it stands for 'Demonstration' (political protest) or 'Demonstrationsversion' (product preview). In formal texts, the longer words are more likely to be used.
Lass uns am Wochenende die Demo des neuen Videospiels testen.
Let's test the demo of the new video game this weekend.
You can easily recognize the meaning from the context. If it is about politics, protest, or social issues, it means a demonstration. If it is about software, games, or music, it means a product version.
Tausende Menschen gingen für mehr Klimaschutz auf die Demo.
Thousands of people went to the demonstration for more climate protection.
In the context of protests, 'Demo' (demonstration) is often combined with certain verbs: 'auf eine Demo gehen' (to go to a demonstration), 'an einer Demo teilnehmen' (to take part in a demonstration), or 'eine Demo organisieren' (to organize a demonstration).
Gehst du am Freitag auch auf die Demo gegen die neue Regelung?
Are you going to the demonstration against the new regulation on Friday too?
protest
'die Demo' and 'der Protest' both belong to public opposition to something. A 'Demo' is a specific gathering of people, often in the street. 'Protest' is more general: it can be a demonstration, but also a strike, a petition, or loud criticism. Learners may confuse the words because a 'Demo' is almost always a form of 'Protest'. If you are talking about the event with people in the street, 'Demo' is more natural. If you are talking about rejection or resistance in general, 'Protest' fits better.
Morgen findet am Bahnhof eine Demo gegen die neuen Preise statt.
Tomorrow there will be a demonstration at the train station against the new prices.
Der Protest der Nachbarn wurde lauter, als die Bauarbeiten auch nachts weitergingen.
The neighbors' protest grew louder when the construction work continued at night too.