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Protesters march in Bangkok in bid to oust PM Yingluck, but turnout low


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I'm watching as well. TINY turnout. Lucky if 1,000, all very harmless and good spirits.

On Telly, you see a snapshot. I am in Ratchaprasong, and yes, there was a 'front group' of about 1000, then went upstairs and watched from above, many thousands more follow, for about 30 minutes, constant flow, filling the road all of the way. I would say 15-20k is a fair estimate.

I am in Surin and they have just arrived, there must be at least 10 million but more may follow.tongue.png

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.

yes but the streets were lined with people who cheered them up. People rushed from the offices to the street to greet.

While 2500 sounds extreme low, the respond was way better than what the PAD got.....I wouldn't count them out, yet.

It doesn't sound very low ...2500 is pitiful. Tomorrow there is a march in Khon Kaen and 3000 people will attend...thing is they are all primary kids. LMFAO and more people will run out to cheer them than Suthep

2500 reported.......look at the pictures.

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All in the name of undemocratic democracy by an anti-corruption corrupt leader. biggrin.png

And Farangs actually support this joke. cheesy.gif

Farangs are also supporting Thaksin while his populist policies are crippling the country. Shit happens I guess.

Yes, the tragedy is an educated foreigner who can support any of the two sides.

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"f Suthep was to disappear from the scene the sentiment of 'can we please have our country back' would still be there.

If the Shinawats were to disappear it would likely be gone."

You can't get back what you never had......

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I was watching them at Asoke, and at first there appeared to be 500-1000. Then a couple more groups turned up. When they left, I reckon there might have been 4-5000 gathered there. Many were from businesses in the area, so wouldn't have continued on with the protesters and speakers when they moved off up Sukhumvit.

Sunday will be the telling day.

800b to go there for the day and 'protest', if any Thais are interested.

You're lying.

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Well, I'm watching the walk through the city (not really a march) on FMTV, and the crowds are welcoming Suthep like a conquering hero.

(And I don't have a dog in this fight.)

Wish I had a baht for everybody who says I dont have a dog in this fight and favours one side over the other..usually anti Thakin dislikers

You'd be far richer with a baht for every disingenuous post that began with,

"I'm no fan of Thaksin, but...."

The most transparent phrase of side-taking.

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.

Totally clueless.

It was said already that the main protest isn't till Sunday, this is just the start and 2,500 was just one march at its beginning and the others join along the way. You don't need 10 million marchers to cause gridlock, you need a few handfuls in different areas. that is enough to stop the city roads dead. Wait till Sunday.

Suthep is winning this war bit by bit. You can't and never will see that until it is all over and the Yingluck/Thaksin government are all finished. Then I suppose you will skulk away with your tail between your legs like I am predicting.

Long Live The People's Revolution.

Have to say I love the irony.

A peoples revolution indeed.

Suthep and his proposals

Votes Aye, something less than 2 million.

Votes Nae, something more than 20 million.

Hohoho, Merry Christmas everybody.

I guess that's why he doesn't want any elections.........

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.

yes but the streets were lined with people who cheered them up. People rushed from the offices to the street to greet.

While 2500 sounds extreme low, the respond was way better than what the PAD got.....I wouldn't count them out, yet.

and when the red shirts marched through Silom in 2010 everybody cheered them, well the workers not the bosses.

And now the workers are supporting the current protesters.

Sent from my phone ...

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.

Suthep's followers have gradually realized the truth. Little by little I am sure they will be lessened.

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.

Suthep's followers have gradually realized the truth. Little by little I am sure they will be lessened.

whistling in the wind to:

Oh, the grand old Duke of York,

He had ten thousand men,

He marched them up to the top of

Everyone stands up

The hill and he marched

Them down again. Everyone sits down

And when they were up they were up.

Everyone stands up

And when they were down they were down.

Everyone sits down

And when they were only half way up,

They were neither up nor down.

Everyone half-way up

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.

It's the difference between people that work and people who sit drinking whiskey all day I suppose.

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It makes more sense to follow democratic principles set in place under the current constitution to allow for an election to determine the next government.

Closing down international airports, blocking roads, creating chaos, violent acts etc... are not part of a democratic society.

Those actions break laws that were enacted to safeguard the principles of democracy, the people, from violence, dictators and the like.

Let the elections proceed and see what happens. Everyone must learn to live within the legal framework and not to take to the streets every time to force out an elected government. Spend more time on the campaign trail and touching the lives of the people in a real way if you want to win an election.

Everyone is talking about reform because of Suthep, the government have no interest in improving Thai society,, they only want power.

2 months and very little violence- only a skirmish between vocational students and police, Ramkhamhaeng students and the red shirts.

Suthep has galvanized the entire middle class across the country. He has the south as well.

This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.

Yes, well, as Jayboy's already pointed out, it's easy to be peaceful when you face little or no resistance. Suthep said he was willing to use 'force' to get his way and though I'm not certain he meant violent force, it seems he is willing to step up the level of disruptiveness if necessary. That would obviously lead a potential crackdown by police. Will they just go home peacefully if the election goes ahead? I hope so, but it's far from certain.

As for this: 'This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.'

If this is true, why do we have newly elected Democrat secretary general grimly forecasting the demise of his party? Any gains that had been made by the Democrats at the end of last month have now been lost, and they risk losing further support every day this Suthep protest continues.

I guess that's why they might eventually decide to put all their eggs in the unelected Council basket and boycot the election. But Juti is right when he suggests that could lead to disaster.

As for reform, people said in 2010, including Abhisit, that at least the red shirts had prompted questions about whether Thai politics & society needed reform, whether inequality should be seriously addressed etc. Nothing much came of that. Both sides are at fault, and could've done more. That's why I feel the Council's desire for reform is also just lip service. I agree with some of the reforms proposed (decentralisation etc), but in the end, that has little to do with their main goal, which is to stop Thaksin. The only thing that'll stop Thaksin is repression of his political base and the curtailment of democracy. That'll be the Council's main business, not the progressive reforms you want to see. I'd suggest to think otherwise is naive, although I hope progressive reform is taken seriously, by the next elected government.

Edited by Emptyset
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2 months and very little violence- only a skirmish between vocational students and police, Ramkhamhaeng students and the red shirts.

Suthep has galvanized the entire middle class across the country. He has the south as well.

This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.

Yes, well, as Jayboy's already pointed out, it's easy to be peaceful when you face little or no resistance. Suthep said he was willing to use 'force' to get his way and though I'm not certain he meant violent force, it seems he is willing to step up the level of disruptiveness if necessary. That would obviously lead a potential crackdown by police. Will they just go home peacefully if the election goes ahead? I hope so, but it's far from certain.

As for this: 'This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.'

If this is true, why do we have newly elected Democrat secretary general grimly forecasting the demise of his party? Any gains that had been made by the Democrats at the end of last month have now been lost, and they risk losing further support every day this Suthep protest continues.

I guess that's why they might eventually decide to put all their eggs in the unelected Council basket and boycot the election. But Juti is right when he suggests that could lead to disaster.

As for reform, people said in 2010, including Abhisit, that at least the red shirts had prompted questions about whether Thai politics & society needed reform, whether inequality should be seriously addressed etc. Nothing much came of that. Both sides are at fault, and could've done more. That's why I feel the Council's desire for reform is also just lip service. I agree with some of the reforms proposed (decentralisation etc), but in the end, that has little to do with their main goal, which is to stop Thaksin. The only thing that'll stop Thaksin is repression of his political base and the curtailment of democracy. That'll be the Council's main business, not the progressive reforms you want to see. I'd suggest to think otherwise is naive, although I hope progressive reform is taken seriously, by the next elected government.

" The only thing that'll stop Thaksin is repression of his political base and the curtailment of democracy. That'll be the Council's main business, not the progressive reforms you want to see. I'd suggest to think otherwise is naive, although I hope progressive reform is taken seriously, by the next"

You forget to mention the application of 'rule of law'. As far as I know a criminal fugitive running a government is not the thing to do. That's assuming we're still talking about 'democracy' as we all know and love it.

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2 months and very little violence- only a skirmish between vocational students and police, Ramkhamhaeng students and the red shirts.

Suthep has galvanized the entire middle class across the country. He has the south as well.

This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.

Yes, well, as Jayboy's already pointed out, it's easy to be peaceful when you face little or no resistance. Suthep said he was willing to use 'force' to get his way and though I'm not certain he meant violent force, it seems he is willing to step up the level of disruptiveness if necessary. That would obviously lead a potential crackdown by police. Will they just go home peacefully if the election goes ahead? I hope so, but it's far from certain.

As for this: 'This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.'

If this is true, why do we have newly elected Democrat secretary general grimly forecasting the demise of his party? Any gains that had been made by the Democrats at the end of last month have now been lost, and they risk losing further support every day this Suthep protest continues.

I guess that's why they might eventually decide to put all their eggs in the unelected Council basket and boycot the election. But Juti is right when he suggests that could lead to disaster.

As for reform, people said in 2010, including Abhisit, that at least the red shirts had prompted questions about whether Thai politics & society needed reform, whether inequality should be seriously addressed etc. Nothing much came of that. Both sides are at fault, and could've done more. That's why I feel the Council's desire for reform is also just lip service. I agree with some of the reforms proposed (decentralisation etc), but in the end, that has little to do with their main goal, which is to stop Thaksin. The only thing that'll stop Thaksin is repression of his political base and the curtailment of democracy. That'll be the Council's main business, not the progressive reforms you want to see. I'd suggest to think otherwise is naive, although I hope progressive reform is taken seriously, by the next elected government.

" The only thing that'll stop Thaksin is repression of his political base and the curtailment of democracy. That'll be the Council's main business, not the progressive reforms you want to see. I'd suggest to think otherwise is naive, although I hope progressive reform is taken seriously, by the next"

You forget to mention the application of 'rule of law'. As far as I know a criminal fugitive running a government is not the thing to do. That's assuming we're still talking about 'democracy' as we all know and love it.

Pridi is long dead but he still casts a shadow.

Seni was an evil sh.t.

The coup failed. Thaksin is still around. Abroad but his influence remains.

He is free not to return. Free throughout the world as his convictions are seen internationally as purely political.

Real foot in mouth by the elite. The fools.

They ousted Thaksin but not his party. Not the red shirts. Not the electorate.

unfinished business we have here. The only solution for the elites in their eyes is to cauterise the body politic and remove all the principle players from this government. Remove the right to vote and install a puppet government controlled by the elites.

To do this they will have to institute Martial law throughout the north and they are so determined and foolhardy they would risk the possibility of serious public disorder, insurrection, loss of tourism,investment, eventually civil war. To be a pariah in the eyes of the world for what?

Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, even Laos will overtake. For what?

Don't think what happened in Vietnam cannot happen in Thailand.

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Pridi is long dead but he still casts a shadow.

Seni was an evil sh.t.

The coup failed. Thaksin is still around. Abroad but his influence remains.

He is free not to return. Free throughout the world as his convictions are seen internationally as purely political.

Real foot in mouth by the elite. The fools.

They ousted Thaksin but not his party. Not the red shirts. Not the electorate.

unfinished business we have here. The only solution for the elites in their eyes is to cauterise the body politic and remove all the principle players from this government. Remove the right to vote and install a puppet government controlled by the elites.

To do this they will have to institute Martial law throughout the north and they are so determined and foolhardy they would risk the possibility of serious public disorder, insurrection, loss of tourism,investment, eventually civil war. To be a pariah in the eyes of the world for what?

Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, even Laos will overtake. For what?

Don't think what happened in Vietnam cannot happen in Thailand.

You fail to understand that the Shinawatra clan is actually part of the Thai elites. They use the poor for their own gains. As simple as that. When it comes to the crunch they will be thrown under the bus by the very same man they blindly adore. Some day they will pay a heavy price for supporting a selfish megalomaniac who brought Thailand twice on the brink of the civil war. He would rather see the country destroyed than admit that he was wrong. No man is bigger than the country.

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.
With hollywood camera tricks nowadays, 2,500 could easily be made to look like 2.5 million.

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

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This is how I think, Suthep want to bring down the Thaksin family in politics and selling to his supporter on phase like stop corruption, stop Thaksin regime, stop vote buying, start a political reform and so on. Just to ask, how he want to stop all this reason that he speak every night? and how he wants to start on that?(not by self elect people council, we know that this is not going to work. Even he himself know that).

Simple, to reduce corruption(we all know that we cannot stop corruption) is to start practice transparency to all the politician(included himself) with their past jobs that they have done with fact and evidence then the people will know what to do. But this is not going to happen because he is as corrupted as all the politician that he is going against.

To stop Thaksin regime, he himself know that he cannot stop Thaksin influence in this country even all of Thaksin family move out from politics or event the country. Then all people say Thaksin interested to come back to politics, let me say one thing, Thaksin is not interested in politics, he really interested in is the economy in Thailand (He is a businessman and to him all he wants is money, yes if his family is in politics, it is more easy for him but even his family is not in politics he is still able to involve in politics. Why? we all know the people that control the country economy,control the country politics because politics and government need money to run the country. Do you all think Thaksin foreign financier interested in Thailand politics? no they all interested in Thailand economy.) So people of Thailand need to wake up and face the reality.

Then now we start with vote buying, for this matter I can tell you that this is all BS. Vote buying have been in SE Asia politics seen before Thaksin and Suthep in politics. So for me this is just a selling point for people to support him for his agenda.

Yes I total agree that a reform must take place, but what Suthep is doing with his self elected People Council and pushing by force to overthrow the current government is not the way to start reform. To reform a country, it cannot be done in just a year or two, it will take a long time and new blood of politicians need to come in and start the reform( not by an old politician that is as corrupted as others).

So for me, all I can see from Suthep is that he want back the portion and benefit that he have lost in the past 20 years of his political carrier that is a piece of the cake that Thaksin have been eating for so long. So it this what the Thai people wants for their so call reform? Kill a lion and put a tiger in the same cage.

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Oh dear! Just 2,500 sheep trotting along behind little Benito. Somehow I don't think that he is going to get his two million on Sunday, but then it should have been obvious to anyone that his support is seriously slipping away as his demands grow ever more threatening and bombastic.

Totally clueless.

It was said already that the main protest isn't till Sunday, this is just the start and 2,500 was just one march at its beginning and the others join along the way. You don't need 10 million marchers to cause gridlock, you need a few handfuls in different areas. that is enough to stop the city roads dead. Wait till Sunday.

Suthep is winning this war bit by bit. You can't and never will see that until it is all over and the Yingluck/Thaksin government are all finished. Then I suppose you will skulk away with your tail between your legs like I am predicting.

Long Live The People's Revolution.

You are wrong, your rallying cry should be "long live the RICH peoples of Bangkok revolution" as the people that backed and voted the current government are biding their time, as not to give the military a reason to become involved. If the election is in fact stopped Bangkok will be awashed by the real people of Thailand "demanding an election" when that happens, save you rallying cry for the "Real" peoples revolution.

Cheers

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If Suthep really want to meet the people, why not do a real long march. Get his two million and march from Bangkok to Chang Mai. I would want to see how many where left when he reached goal...

YL can try that march, too, in her Hello Kitty PJs.

Better yet, follow the example of X-Files star Gillian Anderson to save the eels:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/access-all-areas/a/20135050/gillian-anderson-poses-nude-with-eel/

Edited by oldthaihand99
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2 months and very little violence- only a skirmish between vocational students and police, Ramkhamhaeng students and the red shirts.

Suthep has galvanized the entire middle class across the country. He has the south as well.

This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.

Yes, well, as Jayboy's already pointed out, it's easy to be peaceful when you face little or no resistance. Suthep said he was willing to use 'force' to get his way and though I'm not certain he meant violent force, it seems he is willing to step up the level of disruptiveness if necessary. That would obviously lead a potential crackdown by police. Will they just go home peacefully if the election goes ahead? I hope so, but it's far from certain.

As for this: 'This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.'

If this is true, why do we have newly elected Democrat secretary general grimly forecasting the demise of his party? Any gains that had been made by the Democrats at the end of last month have now been lost, and they risk losing further support every day this Suthep protest continues.

I guess that's why they might eventually decide to put all their eggs in the unelected Council basket and boycot the election. But Juti is right when he suggests that could lead to disaster.

As for reform, people said in 2010, including Abhisit, that at least the red shirts had prompted questions about whether Thai politics & society needed reform, whether inequality should be seriously addressed etc. Nothing much came of that. Both sides are at fault, and could've done more. That's why I feel the Council's desire for reform is also just lip service. I agree with some of the reforms proposed (decentralisation etc), but in the end, that has little to do with their main goal, which is to stop Thaksin. The only thing that'll stop Thaksin is repression of his political base and the curtailment of democracy. That'll be the Council's main business, not the progressive reforms you want to see. I'd suggest to think otherwise is naive, although I hope progressive reform is taken seriously, by the next elected government.

" The only thing that'll stop Thaksin is repression of his political base and the curtailment of democracy. That'll be the Council's main business, not the progressive reforms you want to see. I'd suggest to think otherwise is naive, although I hope progressive reform is taken seriously, by the next"

You forget to mention the application of 'rule of law'. As far as I know a criminal fugitive running a government is not the thing to do. That's assuming we're still talking about 'democracy' as we all know and love it.

TS is merely YL's caddy, not "running a government", although there is no law that would dissallow her from following his every word. Moreover he was democraticly elected.

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The part where His Majesty signs a Royal Decree to dissolve Parliament, but leaves her as Caretaker PM.

The King also swears her in as PM, yet she can resign as PM.

The courts can also force a PM to stand down. Does that mean that they are committing LM?

All she needs to do to is go to the King and tell him she wants to resign, then he will sign another decree and swear someone else in as care-taker PM.

Thaksin resigned as care-taker after the 2006 election. I don't see why Yingluck can't.

Fair enough. But better still wait until the election and see if she still has the support of the country.

She will never have the support of "the country". She will be appointed as number 1 PTP party list MP, and 40+% will vote for PTP. No one will ever know how much support she has.

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It makes more sense to follow democratic principles set in place under the current constitution to allow for an election to determine the next government.

Closing down international airports, blocking roads, creating chaos, violent acts etc... are not part of a democratic society.

Those actions break laws that were enacted to safeguard the principles of democracy, the people, from violence, dictators and the like.

Let the elections proceed and see what happens. Everyone must learn to live within the legal framework and not to take to the streets every time to force out an elected government. Spend more time on the campaign trail and touching the lives of the people in a real way if you want to win an election.

Everyone is talking about reform because of Suthep, the government have no interest in improving Thai society,, they only want power.

2 months and very little violence- only a skirmish between vocational students and police, Ramkhamhaeng students and the red shirts.

Suthep has galvanized the entire middle class across the country. He has the south as well.

This is all so beyond Yingluck, even Thaksin can't help her now.

And the Suthep mob/Democrats do not want power?

Yes the violence has been virtually non existent, thanks to the Yingluck administration which has shown discretion and patience.The whole community of nations have praised this spirit of humanity,

Unlike the Abhisit government which murdered unarmed civilians.

Yes the Bangkok middle class -largely Sino Thai - has hooked itself to the old unelected elites.Useful idiots in Lenin's famous phrase.But don't be under the illusion that there aren't many middle class Thais who while having no love for Thaksin are repelled by the Democrat/Suthep alliance.

If you think Yingluck (or rather the the people of Thailand who stand behind her) are finished, let's see what the next general election decides.

Bring it on.

It does make it easier for the government that the protesters aren't throwing grenades or shooting police.

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About 2,500 people marched along one of the city's main roads holding banners that read "We are anti-corruption"

Why are they supporting Mr. Palm Oil man Suthep then? huh.png

+1.

I remember when Palm oil was rationed in the supermarkets.

And the price of palm oil in Makro has increased by some 25% in the last few weeks. I wonder if Suthep's mob aren't manipulating the supply again in order to discredit the government - palm oil being a staple of poorer people's cooking. Nothing Mr. S would like more, than a repeat of the shortages and price-gouging that we had then.

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Sounds like a damp squib. Maybe he should call off Sunday or risk looking even stupider than he does already!

Most of the protestors I came across this afternoon, were on their way to the shopping malls, but did have whistles.

You will see Sunday!

And when you look this picture, do you really think that they are on them way to the shopping malls?

1476407_417645151671588_703438801_n.jpg

Or maybe they should look like this =>

red-shirt-violence-thailand.jpg

That looks like 5-8,000 people to me!
Where I was standing at Rachaprasong, the march came in 6 or 7 'waves', where a gap was left, allowing traffic to pass through between each wave of protesters, instead of in considerately blocking all traffic for half an hour or more. All was carried out in good spirit.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, a picture only gives a snapshot.... the whole protest group was much larger than what can be seen from one photo.

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