(X)(X)
Peacefully protests and ignored for years
Anders was constantly ignored for years while protesting peacefully in Kirkwall, wrote a manifesto, met with the grand cleric, and helped mages escape through the mage underground, etc.
However by the end of ACT 3 Anders is literally backed into corner with no one listening to his peaceful protests aside from (depending on the choices you make) a pro-mage Hawke, but even then there is only so much they can do.
Grand Cleric Elthina
(X) (X)
As the grand cleric it was Elthina’s duty to mediate between the mages and templars yet she did nothing to prevent or stop the templars from taking advantage of the mages and instead took a stance of neutrality that did nothing but help the templars oppress the mages.
Mage Circles, weren’t as great as just as the Chantry wants you to believe.
Screenshots of Dungeons in the Circle tower the place here Anders spent a year in solitary confinement.(X)
Anders was locked up in solitary confinement for a year after his seventh attempt at escaping, keep in mind this was seen as a “light punishment.”
Cole recounting the experience of a mage that was left to starve to death in a cell by templars.(X)
In the Orlesian Circle, the mage Cole possesses was locked, imprisoned, forgotten about, and left to starve and would later have any records of his existence destroyed.
The Rivani Circle was erased from the map because they gave their mages “too many freedoms.” There’s also the fact that mages are taken away from their families and have no sembalance of freedom once placed into the circles, therefore the circles had failed mages long before Anders set foot in Kirkwall.
The mages were lobotomized(Chantry law states that mages who have passed their harrowing are not to be made tranquil, throughout the game you see the Kirkwall circle repeatedly breaking this law and go unpunished for it), sent to harrowings unprepared, abused by the templars (there are even hints that templars have been sexual abusing the mages.)
Meredith calling for the Rite Annulment
(X)
Knight Commander Meredith was already pushing for the Rite of Annulment way before Anders considered blowing up the Chantry.
Kirkwall Chantry
Poor refugee talking about the Kirkwall Chantry. (X)
The Kirkwall Chantry is located in Hightown, the place where the upper class live. The Chantry’s purpose is to give aid to the poor and those in need yet it’s unreachable to people living in Lowton, the place where the lower class live, and they are unable to afford to move closer to the Chantry.
So after peacefully advocating for mages for years, being dismissed by the grand cleric who’s job is to ensure that templars abuse their positions, realizing the Chantry’s system is filled with corruption and failed the mages, seeing that the knight commander was hellbent on committing genocide upon every mage in the Kirkwall circle led Anders to making choice where no one had no choice but to look, but to listen while giving the mages a chance to fight for their lives rather than be slaughtered like cattle.
