Since 2012, judges and prosecutors in Benin have repeatedly protested against political interference and demanded compliance with their statutorily guaranteed independence. In 2014 and 2017, magistrates demonstrated in their judicial robes in the streets, protesting against the government's bill to deprive them of their right to strike and other freedoms. Benin has been described as a ‘success story of democracy’ (Stroh and Never, 2006, p. 1) and even as a ‘model democracy’ (cf. Kohnert, 1996, p. 78; Magnusson, 2001, p. 211; Bierschenk, 2009) since its peaceful transition to democratic conditions and its participation in a national conference in 1990/91. So why were magistrates in Benin demonstrating in the streets for the first time in the history of their profession? Based on fieldwork in Benin in 2009 and 2015 and archival research in 2017 in France, my paper analyses the change in the style of interactions between parts of the executive and parts of the judiciary in the history of the profession – a change from political negotiation to confrontation. Through their strikes and industrial action, magistrates fought for judicial independence; yet, at the same time they constructed legality and strengthened democracy because their actions emphasised the rule of law. My paper also considers the specifics of their strikes in the context of other striking civil servants. When magistrates, as bureaucrats, become politically active, it marks a transformation in their self-conception, as they are usually reserved and withdraw themselves from political and public spheres.

自 2012 年以来，贝宁的法官和检察官一再抗议政治干预，并要求遵守其法定保障的独立性。2014年和2017年，地方法官身着司法长袍走上街头，抗议政府剥夺他们罢工和其他自由的法案。贝宁被描述为“民主的成功故事”（Stroh and Never，2006 年，第 1 页），甚至被描述为“民主典范”（参见 Kohnert，1996 年，第 78 页；Magnusson，2001 年，第 211 页； Bierschenk，2009 年）自和平过渡到民主条件并参加 1990/91 年的全国会议以来。那么，为什么贝宁的地方法官在他们的职业历史上第一次上街示威呢？基于 2009 年和 2015 年在贝宁的实地考察和 2017 年在法国的档案研究，我的论文分析了职业历史上行政部门和司法部门之间互动方式的变化——从政治谈判到对抗。通过罢工和工业行动，地方法官为司法独立而战；然而，与此同时，他们构建了合法性并加强了民主，因为他们的行动强调法治。我的论文还在其他罢工公务员的背景下考虑了他们罢工的细节。当地方官员作为官僚在政治上变得活跃时，它标志着他们自我概念的转变，