BY and large, my own life is great and there’s not much I have to complain about personally.

I imagine I’d live a far more peaceful existence if I was content with that, stayed in my bubble, and refused to concern myself with the worries and concerns of others.

Between rolling 24-hour news and the internet, it’s virtually impossible to escape an almost daily onslaught of negative stories, horrific events, disturbing policies and shocking incidents that can feel overwhelmingly unstoppable.

Constant connectivity means much of the world is hearing about and talking about dominant issues as one.

Millions of voices are clamouring to be heard, competing for hearts and minds on a variety of issues, from Trump’s presidency to transgender toilets and NHS cuts.

The digital generation’s ability to mobilise quickly and effectively means more people than ever can and will take to the streets for their cause, and they will take others with them via the myriad channels of communication we have at our disposal.

Most recently, anti-Trump protests saw millions pick up placards and join together to oppose hateful policies and a nasty rhetoric that, by emboldening the far-right, enabling misogyny and threatening liberty, is already damaging the lives of innocent people.

The resulting flood of conflicting information is overwhelming and it’s exhausting but as much as I can understand the temptation to disconnect, I will not cut myself off, I will not ignore what is happening and I will not shut up about it.

In a global environment seemingly ever more shaped by hatred and intolerance, I believe silence and acquiescence is no longer an option.

I stand with the protestors and do not share the derision of those who believe their actions are somehow pointless.

In Trump’s case, the crux of the action may be half the world away from us, but influence spreads and movements grow rapidly, especially when they are spearheaded by one of the leaders of the free world.

For most of us, our voices are the only weapons we have in this fight that is eroding by the day values most of us hold dear – tolerance, equality, freedom of movement, the right to a safe haven.

If all of us stay silent, if we turn away from a situation that does not concern us, even as it concerns millions of others, then we ultimately allow this to happen unchallenged.

Protest may not bring the rapid and immediate changes many of us would like to see, but it sends a message, it sows seeds and it gains momentum.

It never came without its detractors, but where silence and acquiescence never could, protest has changed the world for the better on numerous occasions.

Many of the hard-won rights protest has brought about are now under threat, here and overseas. Without fierce and uncompromising show of opposition, these threats will not simply vanish.

As a wiser man than I once said, when injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.

Middlesbrough will host an anti-Trump protest in Centre Square from 1pm on Saturday.