Gotta point out that the french protests, while they are in general for everyone that doesn't mean it's not extremely partisan and divided. It's just we all know Macron is absolute trash 🤷
Malcolm X Vs MLK was a perfect example of how your assumption is baseless: MLK changed nothing. The 64 "civil rights" act was a nothing burger that lead to him continuing to protest until he was murdered. At that point, every city in the US rioted for 9 days solid, causing the 68 civil rights act to be written and passed as a matter of urgency.
Protest does nothing unless backed by violence.