Definitions matter.

Siege: “the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible.”

Protest: “an expression or declaration of objection, disapproval, or dissent, often in opposition to something a person is powerless to prevent or avoid; to give manifest expression to objection or disapproval; remonstrate.”