GlobalVoices: Myanmar illustrators unite to distribute protest art for free. “A group of 30 artists from Myanmar uploaded more than a hundred protest posters… for free print and use by those rallying against the military coup….The collective noticed that protesters were bringing placards with the illustrators’ art to demonstrations, and indeed many artists had shared their poster designs online for free.”
UCLA: CSRC Launches Chicano Moratorium 50th Anniversary Project. “On August 29, fifty years after the National Chicano Moratorium took place in Los Angeles, the [Chicano Studies Research Center] publicly launched the Chicano Moratorium 50th Anniversary Project website. With images, exhibitions, an interactive map of the moratorium route, and personal narratives, the site is a free archive-based resource dedicated to the event and how it changed the course of the civil rights movement across the United States for the Chicano-Latino community.” I had never heard of the Chicano Moratorium. UC Davis has an overview.
Moscow Times: Putin Tightens Fines for Protesters, ‘Biased’ Social Media Giants. “Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a handful of new laws Wednesday that impose heavy fines on protesters and ‘foreign agents,’ as well as on social media giants accused of ‘discriminating’ against Russian media. Observers have described legislators’ recent activity as part of the Kremlin’s efforts to tighten restrictions on dissent ahead of this fall’s parliamentary elections, which will take place amid simmering public anger over falling incomes.”
ABC Columbia: UofSC creates project to document the experiences of residents during the Black Lives Matter movement. “The University of South Carolina is documenting the experiences of residents during the expansion of the Black Lives Matter movement that took place over the summer.”
Sydney Morning Herald: Myanmar army hunts protest backers over social media comments . “Myanmar’s army is hunting for seven well-known supporters of protests against this month’s coup and they face charges over comments on social media that threaten national stability, the army said on Saturday. Among those named was Min Ko Naing, a one-time leader of bloodily suppressed protests in 1988, who has made calls supporting the street demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign.”
Gulf News: Social media is more a bane than boon for protests. “We must not remain blind to the fact that the world had also witnessed numerous powerful movements even before the arrival of social media. People had successfully protested to get freedom from colonial powers in the 1950s and 1960s and had forced dictators to surrender their power leading to a democratisation wave worldwide from 1974 to 1991. So, it is not that social media is a must for people to mobilise successfully. For social media to bring better benefits to protest mobilisation, the country needs a free, fair, and accessible virtual space, a rarity in most of the South and the East. While social media has some positive contributions for mobilising dissent, at the same time, can be a double-edged sword.”
TechCrunch: Minneapolis police tapped Google to identify George Floyd protesters. “These so-called geofence warrants — or reverse-location warrants — are frequently directed at Google in large part because the search and advertising giant collects and stores vast databases of geolocation data on billions of account holders who have ‘location history’ turned on. Geofence warrants allow police to cast a digital dragnet over a crime scene and ask tech companies for records on anyone who entered a geographic area at a particular time. But critics say these warrants are unconstitutional as they also gather the account information on innocent passers-by.”
Euronews: Myanmar coup: Junta blocks internet as well as social media amid growing anti-coup protests . “Myanmar’s new military authorities appeared to have cut most access to the internet on Saturday as they faced a rising tide of protest over their coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government.”
Voice of America: New Generation of Russian Protesters Harnesses Social Media. “Some 80 journalists are included among the thousands of people who have been detained across Russia during protests over the arrest and sentencing of opposition politician Alexey Navalny…. The strong tactics used by security forces to contain protests, and the retaliation against independent journalists covering them, were no surprise to Russian politicians, analysts and journalists interviewed by VOA. What was less expected was Russia’s inability to stem the flow of information about Navalny’s case and the rallies in his support.”
BBC: Covid: Dutch curfew riots rage for third night. “More than 180 people were arrested in 10 Dutch cities as protesters defying a curfew clashed with riot police for a third night running. Shops in Rotterdam were looted and police used water cannon, as rioters resisted latest Covid restrictions.”
BBC: Covid: Police and protesters clash during Dutch curfew demo. “Riot police in the Netherlands have clashed with protesters angry at new coronavirus restrictions. Officers used water cannon and tear gas to clear demonstrators in Eindhoven. They had gathered in defiance of a new 21:00 (20:00 GMT) curfew. Some protesters threw fireworks, looted supermarkets and smashed shop windows. There were smaller demonstrations in the capital, Amsterdam.”
Christian Science Monitor: From streets to museums: Artists archive 2020 summer of protest. “As Black Lives Matter protests wane and protest murals fade, citizens, academics, and arts groups seeking to preserve the past for future generations are archiving art from this summer’s historic George Floyd protests in a myriad of physical and digital ways.”
Princeton University Library: New photographs in PUL’s digital archive document Chilean protests, Oct. to Dec. 2019. “Princeton University Library recently published a collection of photographs documenting the social upheaval and crisis in Chile that began in October 2019, compiled by graduate students Alejandro Martínez Rodríguez (Spanish and Portuguese) and Camila P. Reyes Alé (architecture), in collaboration with Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez, librarian for Latin American studies, Latino studies, and Iberian Peninsular studies.”
CPJ: Cuban authorities harass journalists, block social media amid protests. “Since November 26, amid protests following the arrest of artist Denis Solís of the San Isidro Movement, a local freedom of expression and artistic freedom group, Cuban authorities have obstructed members of the press from doing their jobs, and have intermittently blocked access to Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram, according to news reports and four local journalists who spoke with CPJ via messaging app but asked to remain anonymous, citing security concerns.”
Millennium Post (India): How farmers are reclaiming their narrative through social media. “While people protesting against the Central government often have to bear the brunt of trolls and certain media outlets twisting their narrative, the farmers blocking Delhi’s gates have kept up their movement throughout the last 11 days through social media mobilisation on channels like WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram — amplifying their voices and helping it reach far and wide.”
