demonstrations
28/03/2013 / ALGERIA
Rug festival turns violent in crisis-stricken southern Algeria
Every year, the residents of Ghardaïa, in southern Algeria, hold a rug celebration to promote their local craftwork. This year, however, it’s become very controversial. On Tuesday, human rights activists and unemployed individuals picketed the celebration’s opening parade, judging it to be too expensive given the city’s dire economic situation. The police violently dispersed the protest. Read more...
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19/12/2012 / TUNISIA
Islamists throw TVs on beach to denounce “corrupt” media
Concerned by what they say is incompetent and corrupted media, the League for the Protection of the Revolution (LPR), a group of activists that is, according to Tunisia’s opposition, close to the Islamist party in power, organised a “flash mob” protest in the city of Sousse. Television sets were thrown onto the beach like rubbish. Read more...
05/10/2012 / TURKEY
Turkish protesters say 'no' to war with Syria
In a powerful show of public outrage, thousands of people marched through the streets of Turkey’s largest city Istanbul on Thursday, in protest against the government’s decision to authorise military operations within Syria. Read more…
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05/09/2012 / CHINA
Protests against 'brainwashing' course continue in Hong Kong
It would be fair to say that the school year in Hong Kong has gotten off to a rocky start. Outraged over the city’s plan to require schools to introduce a controversial national history course, thousands of students, parents and teachers have taken to the streets outside Hong Kong's education headquarters, criticising the new plan as “brainwashing”. Read more…
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17/04/2012 / SYRIA
Syrian activists fight Assad regime with spray paint and stencils
Following examples set in other Arab Spring countries like Tunisia and Egypt, Syrian activists have taken to arming themselves with cans of spray paint and stencils to peacefully protest against embattled President Bashar al-Assad’s regime via a very public and artistic medium – graffiti. Read more…
22/02/2012 / RUSSIA
Protesters tongue-tied when asked why they support Putin
Footage of a rally for Russian Prime Minister Valdimir Putin has tantalised the country’s online community, becoming its latest Internet hit. The video shows small pockets of Putin supporters as they mill around the demonstration, but when asked what they’re doing there or why they are waving a specific sign, the protesters appear rather blasé or even at a loss as to how to answer the question. Watch the video…
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07/02/2012 / RUSSIA
Cash handouts to support Putin caught on video
A Russian protester has posted a video that he claims shows demonstrators receiving cash handouts in exchange for participating in this weekend’s rally in support of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The video echoes allegations that many of those who turned out for the pro-Putin event were actually coerced into doing so. Read more…
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31/01/2012 / USA
‘Taser happy’ police use stun gun to subdue Occupy DC protester
A video of police using a Taser stun gun against an Occupy protester at Washington DC’s McPherson Square has garnered widespread attention as the movement fights to maintain its 24-hour presence at the site despite a ban on overnight camping. Read more…
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27/12/2011 / RUSSIA
Russian politician denies ‘eating evidence’ in jailed opposition leader’s trial
After spending weeks in jail, Sergei Udaltsov, leader of Russia’s radical Left Front organisation, remains in custody after a Moscow court postponed an appeals hearing for his release on Tuesday. Allegedly arrested on trumped-up charges, the Russian authorities are apparently grasping at reasons to keep Udaltsov in jail – even going so far as to accuse our Observer, an opposition politician and Udaltsov supporter, of having eaten a key piece of evidence. Read more…
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23/12/2011 / CHINA
Wukan protests ‘won’t bring the system down’
After months of unrest over a heated land dispute, it looks as though calm may finally have returned to Wukan, a small fishing town in China’s wealthy south-eastern province of Guangdong. Wukan’s residents have reached a deal with local authorities, bringing an end to a high-profile standoff that lasted nearly two weeks. Despite the international attention the conflict garnered, our Observer on the ground says the issue remains a local one. Read more...
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