The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests, Prime Narendra Minister Modi tweeted, commenting on the storming of the US Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters. Meanwhile, thousands of farmers are camped in bitterly cold weather around India's capital. They are peacefully protesting amendments to farm laws the government has rammed through without a discussion in the country's elected Parliament. They threaten to carry out a peaceful tractor march in Delhi on the nation's Republic Day if their demands are not conceded by then. These protests in the world's two largest democracies raise questions about the health of the global democratic enterprise. What is a lawful protest Who determines whether the purpose of the protest is lawful And which methods of protest are lawful If such questions should be discussed within a democratically-elected Parliament, and if elected institutions do not function, should the people not protest They must protest, albeit non-violently, in a manner that will make their protest heard as the Indian farmers are, and the protestors in Shaheen Bagh were. Experts advising the government are prepared for discussions with the farmers provided the discussions are evidence-based, they say. Which raises more questions. What is evidence required for What is acceptable as evidence The experts have their own scientific models about what is important. The farmers have their experience of what matters. Experts want more hard data. Whereas farmers' mistrust of the government's intentions is based on their experience, including the way in which the reforms are being rammed on them. That's not how democracy is supposed to work, they protest. Liberals everywhere are feeling threatened by the rise of autocratic leaders. Elected leaders may say they work for the people and listen to them. However, the experts who advise them plug people as numbers into their scientific models, even looking down on them as uneducated masses. When leaders rely too heavily on expert advisers for solutions, trust in elected leaders breaks down. Trump rose up on a global wave of citizens' mistrust in the way democratic institutions are functioning.