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| Picture Source : Detik.com |
Just like what happened on
America after Trump wins the election, the riot also happened here in Indonesia
on Friday of two weeks before, but this was not because of the result protest
though it had to do with election as well, the election for governor election,
and that was the demonstration of blasphemy that being accused to Basuki Cahaya
Purnama a.k.a Ahok as an incumbent.
The effect still remains till now
as everybody in country surrounded with uncertainty and anxious as President
Jokowi make his move gathering all parties to hold the nation union. But still, the rumors of the next demo emerge from social media so the Police Force had
announce if the mass keep doing that plan after Ahok been setup as a suspect of
the accusation, it obvious there will be another agenda besides what masses
getting angry with from video at Kepulauan Seribu.
The riot occurred on Sunday,
November 4, and had shed mass of more than 200 thousand people in the heart of
Jakarta. They come from everywhere, not from the big city though, but the
arrival of these one-day-tourist has given the bless for original people of
Jakarta who working as food hawkers such fried rice, noodle, ketoprak, gado-gado, satay, baklava, and
so forth.
The action that initially runs in
quiet and peaceful turned into a riot after sunset. When the police tried to
disperse crowd because the time they’ve been agreed as demonstration time ends,
masses ignores and turned violent as they tried to break through barricades in
order to get through President Palace.
It forced the police opens fire a tear
gas as a warning, which eventually brought undesirable commotion like car
burning. The riots barely sustained on Saturday, the continuation describing in
the form of looting similar to what happened on 98’s riot, no wonder several
people decided to move out town
Racial issues (ethnicity,
religion, race, class) were totally some kind of perfect fuel to light riots
and hatred but if you take a look a while on 98’s event which also ended as
huge riot, any issues boils down to one thing called power. Let us look at the
reasons behind all of these four demonstration that known as the worse demo
throughout the world ever as it took many lives in it.
1. Demonstration of Nika 532 M, the
death toll: 30,000 people
As a growing city with too many
controls, Senators of Constantinople who worked for Emperor Justinian decided
that they finally have the right time to oust him after their disagreement of
new tax legislation been rejected. The emperor was considered taking taxes too
high so they’re ain’t happy about it.
Therefore, the senators joined
forces in demonstrations to chose new Emperor and relegating John the
Cappadocian and Tribonian who always supporting the ideas of Justinian’s tax.
However, the demo was ignored so the riots continue to occur.
Major riots started when two
people of a member of blue team and the green from chariot team was being
accused for murder and must be brought to trial. But as supporter the blue
team, Emperor Justinian entered the game in the hope of the death penalty on
the blue team could be commuted to life imprisonment.
An angry mob came to the
Hippodrome, to the place where chariots match was being held, and the shouts to
defend both sides turned into the shout of Nika, which mean ‘Victory’ and bunch
of traitor Senator were succeed to influence green team who want to fight
Emperor’s decision to break the riot out.
The riots usually lasts for one
or two days but the Nika riots in 532 BC lasted a week, and is known as the
most deadly riots ever, for 30,000 people die in all cities and half of the
city was burned to ashes and rubble.
2. Demonstration of Arabs in
Palestine, 1936 to 1939, the death toll: 5,600 people
In April 1936 several Arab
leaders who were members of Arab Higher Committee (AHC) called for protests on
two things namely the large amounts of Jewish immigration to Palestine and the
return of British colonial. The first years of demonstrations carried out by
means of strikes and boycotts of Jewish products.
At first the British managed to
ease the tension by way of halting the Jewish immigrants who’s at that time was
being sought after Nazi Germany - which incidentally also was at war with
Britain in World War 2 - because the British don’t want to lose the supply of
oil from Arab countries. However, the invasion continues and the Israeli keep
coming to the land of Arabs which can’t be hold by the British, who finally
proposes to split Palestine into an independent state outside the unity of Arab
but the proposal rejected and ended in a massive demonstration.
September 1937, the riots turned violent as AHC demands of
Jewish immigration practices terminated and Palestine becomes an independent
state for the Arabs. English who largely controlled by Israel in its function
at war with Germany was not able to provide a solution, eventually the riots
that claimed many victims broke out.
3. Direct Action Day of 1946, the
death toll: 4,000 people
British government's decision in
1946 to grant independence and full transfer of power to the leader of India
who came from the majority of Hindu was disappointing for those of Muslims
because they want their own state called Pakistan and don’t want to put their
command under the auspices of Indian state that rule by different belief.
Indian Muslim leaders demanded
India be divided into two, namely India with a Hindu majority and Pakistan with
a Muslim majority, but this proposal was not approved. From that disappointment
of that decision, the clash between groups started to appear several times,
especially in Calcutta.
Muslim leaders have decided to
mobilize the masses to get them bigger so that the new government would like to
see their existence and on August 16, 1946, or 18 days after Ramadan they do
massive demonstrations that ends in chaos. The battle went so bad, even the
police forces of two sides couldn’t control nor stop it.
Newly on August 22 riots finally
ended after British troops were sent to calm the situation. During the riots,
many people left their homes, but they don’t go into perpetrators and victims
of violence. 4000 people were killed while more than 100,000 injured, many lost
their homes but apparently the riot spread from Kalkulta up to the rest of
India.
4. The Romanian Revolution of 1989,
the death toll: 1104 people
A wave of discontent was actually
starting to rise in 1989 when President Nicolae Ceau doing what he describes as
Escu motion to remove the country's debt. This movement is done by exporting
large number of goods from Romania in exchange for international currencies.
This plan would make the Romanian
people getting poorer, basic goods such as food, clothing, electricity,
entertainment television, and many other things were cut but on the other hand
when the state is trying to reduce its debt burden, President Ceau even held a
celebration parade for himself and his wife which drain a lot of people's
money.
Not to mention his efforts to
form Romania to become state police, so the police have unlimited power around
nation. Freedom of speech shackled, books censored, banned radio channels, and
nobody else can criticize the regime. All of these angered many citizens, and
most believe the revolution was inevitable.
The first real protest began on
December 16, 1989, when the Romanian authorities were trying to get rid of
Laszlo Tokes, a rebel who dared to be outspoken against the government that
caused him to lose a job as a pastor. The police who were trying to catch Tokes
has challenged by people who came to the house to protect Tokes.
The large number of people forced
police to use the hard way so they had to use full equipment to disperse them
from Tokes’ house but another group of demonstrators launched retaliation by
breaking into Committee District building and destroy everything apart,
including propaganda tools and brochures, and even tried to burn down the
building even though the effort failed.
Instead, the police force were
not able to deal with the masses, so the situation was getting worse on
December 21, when nearly 100,000 people came to the presidential palace and
called for anti-government appeal and resignation of Ceau Escu. President Ceau
Escu and his wife tried to escape by helicopter but they failed and they were
arrested and trial by the masses. The long demo was taking 1104 life.
I was there among the crowd of students when 98 collapsed,
bringing spirit and enthusiasm of lowering corruptive government, felt that what I was doing
as patriotism in order to maintain the integrity of this Republic of depravity.
In fact, the action was just paving the way for a handful of people to take
power from the previous ruler, people who never took their steps to battle
field like we did.
Too bad if we become victim of something we could never
enjoy it ourselves, right?
In this case I gave my thumbs for the police and military
that doesn’t react repressively in calming the rioting mobs. When emotions took
the bait, and the possibility could occurs, we will repeat the dark history of
Bloody Sunday in Ireland in 1972 when the British army trying to stop mass
demonstrations of civilians of fanatical
Catholics followers in Bogside, Northern Ireland who wish Protestants, that not
in line with their ideology, out of Derry.
Let's see the movie trailer for a moment....
26 people were shot in riots, 13 of them were shot dead. Lets hope that wont happened here though it said they still be gathering around once more on Nov 25, a week from now, for another demo which we don't know what the reason for...
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