
. . . . only a few slight injuries, (as with any large event) reported, it seems that the number of victims and the severity of injuries is significantly below what one might expect from spending one evening at a Bavarian beer garden.Nick Nostitz, who had previously live-blogged a violent confrontation between the Yellow shirts and the police, found himself in a position to compare protests. Nick summed up the contrast:
. . . the demonstrators from the beginning had made clear their renunciation of violence, and, as far as we can judge today, have kept their commitments. This was a lesson in non-violent resistance.
Nevertheless, during these three days, a massive military presence was visible -- one that had been bitterly missing during the demonstrations of the yellow-shirt PAD demonstrations.
It was a welcome change to be walking away from a street protest without a feeling of disgust and sadness. . .
We know about the potential for violence in any street protest group, including the Red Shirts. Yet this protest was very carefully controlled by the Red Shirt leadership. Violent incidents were the absolute exception, and were immediately stopped by the leadership who were constantly at the frontline. The rhethoric on the stages was a careful balance of edging people on, humour and constant reminders to stay within the confines of the law. At night, Red Shirt leaders took turns singing songs on the stage. The protesters sang along and danced.
- Der Weg zur Wahl - Der erste Tag der Regierungserklärung/ The road to the election - the first day of the government policy statement, 29 Dec, (English translation)
- Der Weg zur Wahl - Der zweite Tag der Regierungserklärung/ The road to the election - the second day of the government policy statement, 30 Dec, (English translation)
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