Stories about Protest from May, 2010
“Black Planet Award” goes to…Formosa Plastics Group, Taiwan
“The Formosa Plastics Group is the world’s largest manufacturer of PVC, its CO2 emissions constitute one quarter of all emissions in Taiwan and with its special dispensations from the government and close cooperation with officials the tax rates for three of the major FPG companies pay less than 10% taxes...
South Korea: The 30th anniversary of the Kwangju Uprising
Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the Kwangju uprising in South Korea, matt from Gusts of Popular Feeling has a roundup post on historical resources about the incident.
Russia: RT's Gay Pride Coverage
Julia Ioffe writes at True/Slant about RT's coverage of the upcoming gay pride parade in Moscow.
Belarus: State sanctioned homophobia
Andrei Khrapavitsky of Belarusan American Blog compares homophobia in Belarus with that in Lithuania after an LGBT-march was quashed in Minsk last weekend while being allowed in Vilnius.
Iran: Students challenge Ahmadinejad again
Hundreds of students from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran protested against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to their own university on May 10th. Hamid Tehrani reviews some videos uploaded on YouTube of the protests in this post.
Iran's Kurdish cities in strike in protest against executions
Life came to a standstill in several Kurdish cities in Iran as businesses and shops went on strike on Thursday,May 13th, to protest against the execution of four Kurdish prisoners. While mainstream media ignored the protest, citizen journalists recorded the rebellious act in photographs and video footage.
Pakistan: The Draw Mohammed Day Controversy
A controversial Facebook campaign called “Everybody Draw Muhammed Day” has irked many Muslims across the world. This has also caused an uproar in the Pakistani blogosphere and many bloggers are questioning the motives, the necessity and the hypocrisy behind this initiative.
Puerto Rico: Second national strike in less than a year
The student movement and the strike they have sustained for almost a month at the main campus of the state-run University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and in 10 of the 11 campuses has catalyzed a massive social movement that has convened a national strike for today, May 18, 2010. As...
Thailand: Red Shirt protesters remain defiant
The Red Shirts want a truce with soldiers but the government insists the protesters must first disperse before negotiations can proceed. Soldiers are already using live ammunition against protesters which the government justifies as a necessary step to restore order in the capital.
Puerto Rico: In Solidarity
Repeating Islands reports that “public figures including musicians, singers, and sports personalities from Latin America and Spain” have sent messages of support to the students who are on strike at the University of Puerto Rico.
Russia: Coal Miners Block the Railroad
Desperate coal miners in Mezhdurechensk [EN] (Kemerovo region, Siberia) blocked the Transsiberian Railroad and were suppressed by the police (video here [RUS] and here [RUS]). Miners claim that the official data on the casualties in the May 9 Raspadskaya mine explosion [EN] were underestimated. Their official appeal is here [RUS]....
Egypt: Journalists Protest at Qatar Embassy
Mohamed Hashem, journalist of Islamonline, reports on the protest held at the Qatar Embassy, Cairo, on May 9. The protest comprised 150 journalists and writers, and addressed the issue of the sacking of 250 Islamonline employees in March.
Bangkok clashes: Pictures, Videos and Twitter reports
Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will not back down as he ordered the military to continue the operations against Red Shirt protesters in Bangkok. Abhisit insists the violent dispersal of protesters is justified to bring back stability in the capital.
Azerbaijan: Revisiting Flower Day
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines marks Flower Day in Baku, Azerbaijan, by looking back at the event last year when dozens of youth activists were detained. This year the blog follows the event online via Facebook and Twitter.
Thailand: Protest blockade ends in violence
The attempt of the Thailand military to blockade the Red Shirt protest camp in Bangkok ended in violence with 16 people dead and hundreds injured. Here are liveblog and twitter reports from Bangkok.
Russia: Yet Another “Little Blue Buckets” Action
A peaceful street gathering of the representatives of the “Little Blue Buckets” (citizen organization against law nihilism on the roads – GVO was writing about it here and here) had been suppressed by the police. Photos and videos can be found here, here, here and here.
Cuba: Remembering Zapata
Uncommon Sense pays tribute to the late political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who would have turned 43 tomorrow, while El Cafe Cubano reports that his tomb has been desecrated.
Netherlands: Twitter campaign against violation of privacy
Dutch internet users have started a campaign on Twitter (@telegraafboycot) to boycott the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf [nl] after it violated the privacy of the sole survivor of the plane crash in Tripoli by interviewing the little boy by phone. The hashtag is #telegraafboycot.
Uzbekistan: Andijan Massacre, 5 years after
Yesterday, May 13, marked five years since Uzbek security troops killed hundreds of anti-government protesters in the city of Andijan. People were protesting against harsh socio-economic environment and repressive politics in the region. The government decided to take strong measures at the very early stage of the protests. That day...
Haiti: Tensions & Demonstrations
“Almost four months have passed since the earthquake, but the Haitian people can’t get the rubble out of sight”: For Inside Disaster, Emmanuel Midi reports on a demonstration in Haiti demanding the return on exiled President Jean Bertrand Aristide.
Bhutan: The Rise Of The Silent Majority
Dr. Hari Bansha Dulal at Blog for Inclusive Democracy in Nepal comments on Nepal's political situation: “the silent majority, whom the Maoists have been taking for a free ride and whose power they have been undermining, is, finally, waking up.”
