Currently, peaceful protests have been happening weekend after weekend in Guatemala, a central Americas country with a history of corruption, violence and organised crime. Though many thought non-violent demonstrations would have little impact on the issues facing the nation, however it has rather surprisingly successful in it's aims.
In April, students were triggered to do something after the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICICG), a United Nation's anti-corruption agency, released a report indicting people with high political positions, in a corruption ring known as 'The Line' who were involved in serious fraud stealing millions from the national treasury.
The initiators, known only as the "group of seven", created a Facebook event in April calling for fellows locals who were unhappy with the exploitation of power, to protest together calling for the resignation of Vice President Roxana Baldetti and President Otto Perez Molina. Over 40,000 people clicked attending to show support and it is estimated 10,00 showed up on the streets. The hashtag #RenunciaYa, meaning 'Resign Now' became the symbol of the protests.
Understanding they were now somewhat responsible for the actions of the tens of thousands of those who had committed to the cause, the "group of seven" took the initiative to set some 'ground rules' that included;
- No specific political party influence, this was to be an apolitical call for justice therefore no political clothing or colours were to be worn
- To follow the law, this was key in ensuring the protests remained peaceful
- Be prepared by bringing food, water and sunblock etc.
- Not to cover their faces - they wanted to be seen as the people of Guatemala, not rebels who would hide their faces as this could be linked to intimidation and fear
It is worthwhile to note that "the group of seven" who started this Facebook page and the consequent successful peaceful protest are rather modest. They have not given them self a name or released any of their names personally as they want the focus to be on all those who participate, not just them. One of the original members was quotes saying "Our strategy was to be honest, to maintain order and to keep everything within the law" and so far it looks like they have been successful in fulfilling their goal.
The only major issue that came to light in these protests was the alleged blocking of social media during the demonstrations. Many in the main vicinity found they were unable to use the internet to effectively share what was happening on social media, a tool that has been successful at spreading the message in recent revolutions such as Egypt. Some reported this was the government's actions to limit the protestor's reach.
Overall, these peaceful demonstrations have been successful in the eyes of Guatemalan's who have not seen triumph through non-violent action for years. It is unsure what has made this particular attempt more successful than those in the past though some academics have pointed to the participation of the middle class.
By 300309281
Sources: I read through a few sources to learn more about his topic but found http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32882520 and http://revolution-news.com/guatemala-thousands-protest-government-corruption-and-impunity/ gave easy to understand summaries of what is happening in Guatemala.
Interesting case, Robert! However, though protest is often very good at extracting concessions from governments - or even overthrowing the government - is it good at making deeper changes?
ReplyDeleteI think that while a protest may overthrown the government, deeper change will only happen if there is a plan for afterwards. For example, if the do overthrow the government, is there a stable plan in place to ensure election are held immediately and to prevent such corruption from occurring again?
DeleteAnother issue is that everyone or a vast majority needs to be behind the movement. If it were just a small part of the population protesting and they achieved their goal, there is unlikely to be deep change is the rest of the population doesn't agree with their ideas. It is not just the government that makes the country's identity but the mindset of the citizens.