Stories about Protest from November, 2011
Portugal: A Peek into a Day of General Strike
Throughout the day of general strike in Portugal, November 24, Twitter user @Shyznogud has curated online media content for the page “a peek into the strike” on Scoop.it. Journalist Paulo Querido (@PauloQuerido) noted that “there are more tweets against the #grevegeral (general strike, hashtag in use) than in favour. Makes...
Costa Rica: Environmental Activists Denounce Repression
Diego Molina in Dame un campo [es] summarizes the experiences shared by environmental activists and lawyers during a conference on “Criminalization of the social-environmental protest” held in the University of Costa Rica. Participants denounced the repression they face as a consequence of their activism.
Egypt: Popular Justice Tackles Police Brutality
Social media users in Egypt have revealed the identity of a police officer accused of shooting to target protester's eyes. Tarek Amr reports of the emergence of several popular justice initiatives in the country.
Tunisia: Elected Constituent Assembly Holds Inaugural Session
November 22 marked another turning point for Tunisia. The constituent assembly, responsible for taking charge of the draft of the new constitution, held its first session. Afef Abrougui reports.
Patrolling Cambodia's Forest
Some 300 activists visited the Prey Lang Forest to to prevent further illegal logging of the area. A slideshow of the journey which took several days on foot is now available online
Mozambique: More striking security guards
After the fateful G4S strike earlier this year, more security guards are on strike in Maputo. @Verdade newspaper photographer Miguel Mangueze tweeted a photo of a sign from the protest, depicting the Portuguese head of the company SOS, who they allege deprives them of pay over the holidays.
South Korea: Video of Protests against Free Trade Deal with US
South Korea's ruling party rammed a contested free trade deal with the United States through parliament, evoking once again mass protests against the agreement. Citizen journalist Aya posted videos of protesters being hit by water cannon.
Russia: Drawing World Leaders’ Attention to St. Petersburg Anti-LGBT Bill
AllOut.org: “Political leaders in St. Petersburg are about to vote on law that will make it illegal for any person to write a book, publish an article or speak in public about being gay, lesbian or transgender. […] Join this call to leaders around the world to reach out to...
Bulgaria: New Protest Against Shale Gas Planned
A new protest is being planned for Nov. 26 in Sofia, part of a series of protests against Chevron's shale gas extraction in northeast Bulgaria. On Nov. 20, nearly 500 people attended a rally in the coastal city of Varna, which didn't receive adequate media coverage. Several Facebook groups have...
Yemen: Will Saleh Sign the GCC Deal that the Youth Oppose?
Yemenis have patiently waited ten months too many for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. Now he says he will sign a GCC brokered deal which transfers power to his deputy. Netizens react to the news under the hashtag #No2GCCdeal on Twitter.
Russia: PM Putin Gets Booed – “End of an Era” or “Wishful Thinking”?
When Prime Minister Vladimir Putin stepped out to congratulate Mixed Martial Arts champion Fedor Emelianenko on November 20, he was visibly taken aback when he received a less than warm response from Moscow spectators. Donna Welles reports.
Egypt: The Revolution is Back!
Up to 100,000 people are said to be in Tahrir Square now, as police and the army continue to battle with protesters calling for an end to Egypt's military rule. Protesters have had running battles with the armed gunmen serving the Egyptian government since Friday.
Peru: Iquitos Against the Chaos Caused by Sewage Works
The beautiful and warm city of Iquitos, in the Loreto region, is going through several problems; the most worrying and annoying for the inhabitants is the chaos caused by controversial sewage works. Citizens are using social networks to organize and demand a solution.
Chile: Citizens Fight to Save Valparaiso's Emblematic Elevators
Valparaíso’s 130-year-old elevators are teetering on the brink of extinction and locals are taking to the streets and social media to fight for them. The World Monuments Fund has named them one of the world’s 100 most endangered historical treasures.
The Netherlands: A Holiday Season of Festivities, Costumes… and Racism?
In recent years "Zwarte Piet" (Black Pete), the dark-skinned companion of Saint Nicholas during the winter holiday season in the The Netherlands, has become part of a recurring debate as some take offense at costumes including black painted faces.
Egypt: Revolutionaries Shrug at Cabinet Resignation
The Cabinet of Dr Essam Sharaf has just asked if it could resign and the Supreme Council for Armed Forces (SCAF) is yet to decide whether it would accept their resignation or not. For activists and protesters battling police and the army for the third day in and around Tahrir Square, the news does not bring anything new to the table. Their main demand is for SCAF to leave power and hand over authority to a civil government.
Morocco: Online Debates Rage Days Ahead of Parliamentary Elections
Moroccan are using the Internet extensively to discuss the upcoming legislative elections. Part of the discussion is revolving around the electoral programs of the competing parties, the question of whether to boycott or participate in the poll and the role played by the pro-democracy youth movement, February 20.
Belarus: Petition to Halt Execution of Minsk Subway Blast Convicts
Over 18,000 people have already signed the “Innocent until proven guilty! 15 days left to stop the Belarussian executions” petition, posted on The Petition Site, demanding to halt the Nov. 30 executions of two Belarusian men, Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou, who were found guilty of the April 11 explosion...
Egypt: Battle for Tahrir Continues for Third Day
The battle for Tahrir Square, in downtown Cairo, continues to rage for the third day today. Netizens keep us abreast with the action from the frontlines.
China: Nude Protest
Chinese netizens post their nude pictures on the internet after Beijing police started investigating dissident-artist Ai Weiwei for spreading pornography online. (Via Shanghaiist)
Ukraine: Starbucks, Social Media Marketing, and “Language Issue”
Tetyana Bohdanova writes about social media marketing and the "language issue" in Ukraine - and a recent scandal caused by what turned out to be a fake Facebook page of Starbucks.