Issue and Opponent: In Thailand, between 2014 and 2019, military rule replaced whatever was left from the 1990s democratization with authoritarian institutions and hyper-royal nationalism. With the advent of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown, ruling elites were temporarily saved from widespread popular defiance. However, the government’s economic mismanagement in the face of the pandemic, resulting in millions unemployed and collapsing businesses was the reason that drove students to the streets from mid-July 2020 onward. The Thai military, monarchy/government, and police began to shrink the civic space, making it nearly impossible (or entirely so) to publicly express any form of dissent.
Dilemma Action: In July 2020, the Bangkok metro­pol­itan authorities placed numerous flower pots around the Democracy Monument to obstruct mass gathering there. When people started to converge on the area at 5 pm, they had no place to assemble and had to sit in front of a McDonald’s restaurant near the monument. Activists responded by inviting ­people to visit this urban flower garden, and collectively shouted “Such a beautiful garden!” 10 times, streaming the actions online, filming the police as they forced them out of the area. Hundreds of police officers were on hand to keep the peace and the event went ahead largely without incident. At one point demonstrators began to push back a metal barrier that had been set up to keep the crowd from spilling into the road nearby, and the police eventually backed off. The use of humor and pop culture has confused and possibly disarmed the authorities expecting to monitor routinized protest actions. Through these novel protests, many onlookers began to pay attention to protesters’ demands.
Outcome: Twitter hashtags were created to publicize protest events and galvanize ideas for ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ nonviolent actions. Lately, Twitter has served as a major platform for mobilizing crowds. Street art exhibitions, parades, and festivities are organized to lighten protesters’ moods while conveying serious messages.