History Main / ResignInProtest

* ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'': Grand Master Wu [[http://www.daughterofthelilies.com/dotl/e103 resigns in protest]] after learning that his WizardingSchool went [[http://www.daughterofthelilies.com/dotl/626 behind his back]] to teach the BlackMagic of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Drath]] {{summoning|Ritual}}. He's also strongly implied to be an [[EmissaryFromTheDivine agent]] of the CrystalDragonJesus that opposes the Drath.

-->--''Series/TheExpanse''

* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'': When the Acorn Council votes to banish NICOLE from New Mobotropolis because "[[ConvictedByPublicOpinion it's what the people want]]", Rotor is so disgusted and upset that he resigns from his seat on the spot.

* ''ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'': DependingOnTheWriter, this is one of the more common explanations given for how Dick Grayson transitioned from ComicBook/{{Robin}} to Nightwing. In such versions, he walks out because he got fed up with being treated as a subordinate to Franchise/{{Batman}}, or because Batman gave him some sort of order he refused to follow, or because he learns about [[YourCheatingHeart an illicit affair]] between Batman and his girlfriend, Barbara Gordon (aka ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}).

** Aokiji quits the Marines in the two year TimeSkip interim after Akainu beats him in a fair fight to become the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, not wanting to serve under someone who uses KnightTemplar tactics and is more than willing to kill innocents just to eradicate a target.

** Franchise/SpiderMan quits after learning that the Pro-Reg side is locking up ''fellow superheroes'' in a prison within ''The Negative Zone''--a dimension that is stated to instill feelings of anguish, fear and dread within human beings.

* Steve Rogers surrendered his role as Franchise/CaptainAmerica (for the second time) when the US government, after giving him his back pay for the decades since World War II, recomissioned him as an agent working directly for them and ordered him to do things that go against the ideals of America, which Rogers honors more than any administration or government bureaucracy.

--> Let me tell you what's going to happen, then this way you can prepare yourself. Soon there's going to be a knock on that door, ''[looks at interrogation room door]'' and you will be called outside. In the hall will be a man who outranks you. First he'll compliment you on the fine job you've done, that you're making the world a safer place, that you're to receive a commendation and a promotion... and then he's going to tell you that I am to be released. You're going to protest, you'll probably threaten to resign... but in the end I ''will'' be released.
* In ''Film/InTheLoop'', several figures in both the United States and United Kingdom governments are prepared to do this if their governments proceed to go to war based on a sketchy source that is supposedly supplying them with covert information but they strongly suspect to be false. [[spoiler:In the end only Karen Clarke (an Assisstant Secretary of State for the US government) actually goes through with it, robbing the gesture of the meaning it would have had if they had all done it together. General Miller backs off at the last minute, rationalizing his decision by saying he'll be better able to help the soldiers under his command by remaining, and Simon is preemptively fired from his position in the UK Government and not allowed to even make a statement by resigning in protest.]]
* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', as the manhunt to find the Joker becomes increasingly desperate and [[GodzillaThreshold the stakes get higher and higher]], Batman reveals that he created a device that will allow him to spy on every cell phone in Gotham. When he reveals this to Lucius Fox, Fox is shocked and horrified by the ethical issues it raises. Then Batman reveals that he has given control of the device to Fox, because he doesn't trust himself with the potential slippery slope of using it. Given the threat posed by the Joker, Fox agrees to use the device one time, but also resigns as CEO of Wayne Enterprises, saying "As long as this machine is at Wayne Enterprises, I won't be." After the Joker is caught, the device is destroyed, and Fox returns to his position as CEO.

** Also in the books, Jaime recalls how [[TheCaligula King Aerys']] [[NumberTwo Hand of the King]] discovered Aerys' plot to plant [[GreekFire wildfire]] all over the capital and burn it to ash should [[TheUsurper Robert Baratheon]] defeat the loyalist forces. The man tried everything he could to talk Aerys out of the plan, and when Aerys would't budge, he furiously resigned on the spot. [[ResignationsNotAccepted Aerys burned him alive in response]].
--->'''Jamie:''' I'd thought the man craven, but the day he confronted Aerys he found some courage somewhere. He did all he could to dissuade him. He reasoned, he jested, he threatened, and finally he begged. When that failed he took off his chain of office and flung it down on the floor. Aerys burnt him alive for that, and hung his chain about the neck of Rossart, his favorite pyromancer.

* ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'': For about 2/3 of the show, Yua Yaiba (Kamen Rider Valkyrie) had been the right-hand woman of Gai Amatsu, the CorruptCorporateExecutive running ZAIA Industries. She did all kind of underhanded acts, partly in an attempt to mitigate it whenever she could but mostly because [[ShockCollar he can force her obedience via a chip implanted in her head]]. After finally getting pushed too far (and figuring out how to disable the chip), Yua teams up with the heroic Kamen Riders to kick Amatsu's ass, then hands in her resignation: [[MegatonPunch a right hook to the chin]], complete with the kind of graphic effects that are normally reserved for the Riders' {{Finishing Move}}s.

** The Season 4 episode "[[Recap/TheExpanseS04E08TheOneEyedMan The One-Eyed Man]]" features two of these coming quite close together: first, a UN Marine General tenders his resignation due to a raid that went wrong from the previous episode. He feels that Avasarala took a needless risk in choosing to order the raid and put the lives of the marines and civilians in danger in order to help her political career, and he doesn't want to be part of that anymore. Meanwhile Drummer, after years of being Fred Johnson's [[NumberTwo right hand woman]], decides to quit because she doesn't like the direction he's pushing the Belt, which she feels emphasizes cooperation with the Inner Planets over the good of actual Belters.
* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': After Mara gets expelled for writing an accusatory article on Vera, Miss Andrews, who ''asked'' Mara to write the article in the first place, decided it would be best for her to quit teaching at the school. She couldn't stand working there any more with Victor running the place, especially after the mess that had occurred the year before [[note]]A student was pulled from the school with no warning, another student was kidnapped and Victor had refused to help her, and all the students nearly died, because of her and the other teachers' efforts to become immortal[[/note]], and especially couldn't allow Mr.Sweet to get away with expelling Mara. Mr.Sweet attempted to pull the ResignationsNotAccepted card, but she still ended up leaving.

** "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E13RumorsBargainsAndLies Rumors, Bargains and Lies]]" has as one of Ivanova's stories on "The Voice of the Resistance" the fact that President Clark's ''entire'' cabinet resigned after he orderd the bombing of civilian targets on Mars.

** Worf resigns his commission at the end of the fourth season when Starfleet refuses to get involved in the brewing Klingon Civil War, citing that it is an "internal matter" and without hard evidence of Romulan involvement they cannot intervene. Once the Romulans are exposed and Gowron's faction wins, Worf is reinstated.

* ''Videogame/MassEffect2'': Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor begin the game as loyal members of [[RenegadeSplinterFaction Cerberus]], until they shift loyalties to [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]]. At the end of the game, if Shepard defies [[EvilMentor The Illusive Man]] and decides to blow up a facility filled with technology created by ancient {{Mechanical Abomination}}s, both will immediately sever ties with Cerberus on the spot.

* A downplayed version version shows up in the Backstory of VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII with Professor Gast Faramis. Gast was [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom the guy who set things in motion for the FF7 verse]]; he was the one who discovered Jenova, mis-identified her [[note]](or rather ''It'')[[/note]] as an Ancient, and kick-started the Jenova Project (which created Sephiroth, SOLDIER, and many other problems). However, unlike the sadistic Hojo, Gast had his limits. When he realized that Jenova was not an Ancient, but something ''much'' worse, he tried to back off so he and his team could figure out what the hell they were actually dealing with. Unfortunately, the Project had gained it's own momentun and there was nothing Gast could do about it. He quit Shinra a short time later, sensing that the only way he'd get some real answers was to continue his investigations on his own.

** [[https://prorevenge.net/post/156374606147/shady-hotel-business This post]] where the poster is conned into taking the job at a small hotel, only to find that owner is an enormous crook. By the end the poster not only leaves over the conditions, but also convinces the whole cleaning team to leave as well, right during the town's busiest season when every room is booked for the next month.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xiDfGISORU This 15 minute video]] which details occasions where an entire store quit at once due to management. Incidents include things like the current manager training their replacement, believing the replacement is going to be an assistant manager. When the current manager finds out that the owners are about to fire him and replace him with the trainee, the manager quits, and within a week what had been a team of 15 becomes a group of 3, as almost everyone else who worked under the manager who resigned also quits in protest of how ownership handled the situation.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' two episode special "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns Who Shot Mr. Burns?]]", Smithers finally refuses to go along with Mr. Burns' latest evil scheme; a device to block out the sun and force the town to use even more of the energy that the nuclear plant produces. This turns out to be just a step too far for Smithers, who had stood by Burns for years and through countless immoral schemes, and during that episode alone Burns had stolen oil from a struggling elementary school, caused a sink hole that destroyed the old folk's home, injured Bart's dog, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking kept forgetting Homer's name]]. [[note]]''Technically'' Mr. Burns beats him to the punch by firing Smithers before Smithers can formally tender a resignation, but Smithers had already said he wouldn't work for Burns for as long as the scheme went on, so it's more or less the equivalent of Burns saying "You can't quit, you're fired!"[[/note]]

* On 1981, Alain de Boissieu resigned his charge of Grand Chancelier of the Legion d'honneur because he couldn't stand to swear allegiance to Francois Mitterand, who had described, in a book published on 1962, his father-in-law UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle as a dictator.

->'''Admiral Souther:''' Fleet Command will not... ''I'' will not support this escalation.
->'''Undersecretary Erringwright:''' Are you saying you won't carry out a lawfully given order?
->'''Admiral Souther:''' ''[furious silence]'' ... I step down as Fleet Commander. ''[rips off insignia of rank and tosses it on the table]''

* ''WebVideo/SquimpusMcGrimpus'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUnVeAd4DAg A technician]] -- while testing the facial recognition function of [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's new animatronics]] -- unknowingly triggers an aggressive reaction from Toy Bonnie with a photo of [[SerialKiller a certain bloke]] the establishment does '''not''' want snooping around within their premises. A near-death experience later, he's certainly not happy that [[IncompetenceInc he wasn't warned beforehand]].

* ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'': Yua, Kamen Rider Valkryie did this to Gai by punching him in the face, complete with finisher screen to name it.

* In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution, a prestigious group consisting of women who could trace their lineage to the Revolutionary War or earlier, refused to allow celebrated singer Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall, their headquarters in Washington, D.C., [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero just because she was black]] (the D.A.R. had a strict "no African-American artists" policy due to black protests over segregated seating in Constitution Hall). When Eleanor Roosevelt, who was then First Lady of the United States, heard, she ''very'' publicly resigned her D.A.R. membership (along with thousands of other members) and, in a brilliant example of StartMyOwn, got her husband Franklin Delano and Walter White, the executive secretary of the NAACP at the time, to help organize a giant open-air concert for Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial instead. Over 75,000 people of all races showed up in person, while millions more listened on the radio. Read more about it (and the actual letter itself) [[https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/eleanor.html here]].

* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E16InTheShadowOfZHaDum In the Shadow of Z'Ha'Dum]]" Sheridan orders [[MouthOfSauron Mr. Morden]] (who was on a scientific expedition that vanished without a trace or any sign of survivors, an expedition that Sheridan's wife was also part of) held and interrogated without official charges in hopes of getting some answers related to his wife's death. As Sheridan keeps trying to use [[LoopholeAbuse legal loopholes]] and unethical means to continue holding onto Morden and denying him his rights, this prompts Garibaldi, the station's Chief of Security, to resign in protest over the blatant violation of the law.

** Steve Rogers surrendered his role as Franchise/CaptainAmerica (for the second time) when the US government, after giving him his back pay for the decades since World War II, recomissioned him as an agent working directly for them and ordered him to do things that go against the ideals of America, which Rogers honors more than any administration or government bureaucracy.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', when Cornelius Fudge installs [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Dolores Umbridge]] to take over for Dumbledore at Hogwarts after forcing Dumbledore out, Griselda Marchbanks and several other figures from the Ministry of Magic resign to protest Fudge's actions.

* In ''Discworld/{{Jingo}},'' when Vimes is relieved from command by [[ModernMajorGeneral Lord Rust]], Carrot, Colon, and Detritus all hand in their badges. (Metaphorically in Detritus' case, because his badge is etched into his arm).

** During the Water 7 arc, Ussop quits the Straw Hats after learning that they plan to get another ship because the ''Going Merry'' won't be able to sail any further, and Ussop is very attached to the ship since it was a present from his friend Kaya. This is also a PoorCommunicationKills issue as Luffy was likewise troubled after hearing the news and [[BadNewsInAGoodWay was trying to put on a cheerful facade when he broke the news to Ussop]], who took it the wrong way and triggered an argument. Though after the events of this and the Enies Lobby arc, Ussop apologizes and re-joins the crew later on.

* In both ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' and the TV adaption ''Series/GameOfThrones'', [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Cersei]] tries to forcibly retire Barristan Selmy, commander of [[PraetorianGuard the Kingsguard]] in a fairly transparent attempt to install her own brother as the new head of the group. Being that appointment to the Kingsguard is a lifetime appointment, and traditionally only death or exile are valid reasons for someone getting kicked out, Selmy is very much against being retired. He spends a little time to give a ReasonYouSuckSpeech to a good section of the Court and his colleagues in the Kingsguard, makes it clear that he's resigning due to the corruption of the court rather than being fired, then storms off. He even stops to make a note of all this in the official Kingsguard record and to kill a few mooks sent after him before he leaves the capital.

** Aokiji quits the Marines in the two year TimeSkip interim after Akainu beats him in a fair fight to become the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, not wanting to serve under someone who uses KnightTemplar tactics and is more then willing to kill innocents just to eradicate a target.

* ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'': If you find one of the collectible backpacks, you'll find an article that accuses Spider-Man of murder, published by the Bugle. It was this article that made Peter quit his job, as he got tired of selling pictures to a paper that painted him as a criminal.

* A downplayed version version shows up in the Backstory of VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII with Professor Gast Faramis. Gast was the guy who set things in motion for the FF7 verse; he was the guy who discovered Jenova, mis-identified her (or rather ''It'') as an Ancient, and kick-started the Jenova Project (which created Sephiroth, SOLDIER, and many other problems). However, unlike other the sadistic Hojo, Gast had his limits. When he realized that Jenova was ''not'' an Ancient, but something ''much'' worse, he tried to back off so he and his team could figure out what the hell they were actually dealing with. Unfortunately, the Project had gained it's own momentun and there was nothing Gast could do about it. He quit Shinra a short time later, sensing that the only way he'd get some real answers was to continue his investigations on his own.

A SubTrope of TakeThisJobAndShoveIt, someone has either been given orders or put in a situation so against their morals, or seen their superiors take actions so unethical, that they refuse to be a part of it any longer and leave the job rather than be part of it. This works best when the person resigning is an acclaimed public hero and when the resignation would would tarnish someone who [[SlaveToPR relies on good publicity]] like a CorruptPolitician.