Civil disobedience in 2008 Korea has caught by surprise many conservatives and progressives alike who are used to conventional, organized protests led by some notable individuals and/or groups. Most of the current protesters—some political pundits have hailed them as “the 2008 generation“—do not belong to any civil organizations or political parties. This peculiar circumstance enabled protesters to be spontaneous and creative in many ways. Especially, they are constantly coming up with new ideas about how to protest peacefully AND cheerfully.
Perhaps the most successful and popular of them is the so-called crosswalk play. When the crosswalk signal changes to green, protesters holding candlelights on both sides of the street walk to the other sides while shouting slogans. This is not illegal according to the Korean Act of Assembly and Rallies. Participants invariably tell that unlike other forms of protests, it’s so fun. Yet it’s quite effective and makes bystanders join without being self-conscious.
Here’s a picture showing people having fun at play in the early morning of June 3 in local time:
The main rally on June 2 came to an end at around 11:30PM due to heavy rain. But many refused to leave and did crosswalk play till 6AM. My hats off to the men and women who are participating in daily all-night rallies.
“Crosswalk play”: New protest tactic emerges.
June 2, 2008Civil disobedience in 2008 Korea has caught by surprise many conservatives and progressives alike who are used to conventional, organized protests led by some notable individuals and/or groups. Most of the current protesters—some political pundits have hailed them as “the 2008 generation“—do not belong to any civil organizations or political parties. This peculiar circumstance enabled protesters to be spontaneous and creative in many ways. Especially, they are constantly coming up with new ideas about how to protest peacefully AND cheerfully.
Perhaps the most successful and popular of them is the so-called crosswalk play. When the crosswalk signal changes to green, protesters holding candlelights on both sides of the street walk to the other sides while shouting slogans. This is not illegal according to the Korean Act of Assembly and Rallies. Participants invariably tell that unlike other forms of protests, it’s so fun. Yet it’s quite effective and makes bystanders join without being self-conscious.
Here’s a picture showing people having fun at play in the early morning of June 3 in local time:
The main rally on June 2 came to an end at around 11:30PM due to heavy rain. But many refused to leave and did crosswalk play till 6AM. My hats off to the men and women who are participating in daily all-night rallies.
Posted in Comments and analysis | Tagged crosswalk play (횡단보도 놀이), protest tactics (시위 전술) |