A the three-fingered salute that originated in the Hunger Games film series has been adopted by Thai activists in Myanmar, becoming a symbol of resistance and solidarity for the democratic movements in Southeast Asia .
The gesture, along with popular online memes that were re-enacted as signs of protest, are part of a set of symbols adopted from global popular culture by a new generation of smart, smart Internet-raised young activists. on how to resonate their struggles with foreign audiences.
The three-fingered gesture was first used in Myanmar last week by medical workers, then young protesters began to raise it in opposition to the military coup. On Monday, a week after the inauguration, the salute could be seen during huge protests in the streets of Yangon.
On February 1, the Myanmar army seized power in a coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. She and other party figures were arrested in a raid in the morning. In response, tens of thousands have protested on the streets of Yangon and other cities as part of a growing civil disobedience campaign. The military has blocked social media platforms in an attempt to eradicate dissent. The United Nations Security Council has called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained ministers.
At the Hunger Games, the three fingers represented solidarity in a dystopian world where rebels fought for freedom against an all-powerful tyrant.
The gesture first appeared in Thailand a few days after a military coup in May 2014 that caused outrage among voters across the kingdom. It was later banned.
After the military takeover, a small group of young protesters gathered in front of a busy mall to show their dissatisfaction. One of the protesters suddenly raised his greeting.
“When this person started, others followed. So it automatically became a symbol against the coup, ”said Sirawith Seritiwat, 28, a prominent pro-democracy Thai activist who was present at the time.
Since 2014, the hand gesture has been widely used in Thailand at protest sites.
“We knew it would be easy to understand concepts of freedom, equality, solidarity,” Seritiwat said. He added that the anti-authoritarian message conveyed in the Hunger Games films resonated among the young protesters of the time.
“It was partly because the anti-coup situation back then seemed similar to the scenes in the Hunger Games movie, where people put three fingers on President Snow,” he said.
Posters carrying young protesters against the Myanmar military coup featured characters known as Pepe the Frog – adopted in 2016 as a symbol of the American far right and most recently used by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong – and Doge and Cheems, two dogs often imagine themselves surprisingly hitting each other with a bat.
Dij Dij Dij Nway
(@nikitakaulitz)Civil disobedience movement in Myanmar. Meme of the day “Don’t be naughty” # Civil disobedience movement #pepe #memesdaily # What is happening in Myanmar pic.twitter.com/Fs3IFostks
The memes, often accompanied by a message in English and modified to include the face of prominent Myanmar junta leaders, reflect the openness to the world of a new generation of young Burmese activists in a country that was largely isolated. measure during the decades he was ruled. only for the army until 2010.
Aung Moe Win
(@AungMoeWin)Some of the fun memes of anti-coup rallies. # What is happening in Myanmar #HearTheVoiceOfMyanmar #Myanmar pic.twitter.com/8EH2YtzrJu
Since then, Internet usage rates have expanded by virtually nothing to more than a third of the country, with an estimated penetration of 80% of smartphones.
The popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook – and insufficient moderation by the technology company – was cited as a factor that provoked the hatred and xenophobia that accompanied the resurgence of extreme violence against the Rohingya. country in 2016-7.
Fearing it could be used against them, the army last week drastically halted Internet access, but gave in about a day later, with service restored in most of the country.