The recent protests in Hong Kong have created a public relations landmine for government officials. Though the name of the protests keeps shifting – Occupy Central, the Umbrella Movement, the Umbrella Revolution – the events on the ground have left leaders scrambling to contain the protesters and prevent a further escalation of events. Falling smack in the middle … Continue reading »
protest
Ukraine: A battle for the future of Europe
Squeezed between European super powers, Ukraine is no stranger to tensions, but it has been a remarkably peaceful country in the modern history. The recent waves of protests and government-sponsored violence moved Ukraine to the brink of a civil war with far-reaching consequences for Europe as well as Russia and other post-communist countries in the … Continue reading »
New media and old manifestations
It appears that Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the protesters clogging up the downtowns of Turkish cities who are agitating against him agree on something. Erdogan recently decried “a menace that is called Twitter . . . . The best examples of lies can be found there. To me, social media is the … Continue reading »
Public protest, media, and economic justice
On September 17, a group of US citizens inspired by the successes of public protest in other countries occupied public space on Wall Street, the location in Manhattan that has come to stand for the excesses of the financial sector. Not only does Wall Street stand for the banks that fueled the ongoing “Little Depression“; … Continue reading »
(Bad) history in the making in Wisconsin? UPDATED
Dramatic images from Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain inspire a sense of being part of history in the making. For many of us, the same is true of the images from Madison, Wisconsin, where tens of thousands of protesters have massed for days refusing to accept a proposal by the state’s governor Scott Walker, taking advantage … Continue reading »