Free Burma Protest in DC

Friday September 28th at about 4 PM there was a protest that began at the Myanmar Embassy and moved several blocks blocks through Northwest DC to the Chinese Embassy on Connecticut Avenue. Actually, I got at the Myanmar Embassy early and the Burmese has already begun, with very few Americans in attendance;

Here’s a YouTube link to one of the speeches in their native language.

Then the monks showed up;

And the crowd started growing;

This is what endeared me to the movement. Whenever one of the Burmese would talk to a monk, they’d put their fingers together like this. I can appreciate a culture that reveres the piety of their old world while enjoying the benefits of our culture. To me that represents our melting pot – the western dress while observing their own culture’s traditions – without forcing the rest of us to bend to their particular whims. And so I, in turn, felt a measure of reverance for their culture.

Although I commend the unions for showing up and lending their support, they brought very few rank-and-file members, but a lot of chiefs. Of course when you have topheavy leadership they took control away from the Burmese folks who were there and it began to look like a strike with chants like “What do we want?” “Democracy!” “When do we want it?” “Now!”

Most of the Anglos that showed up were from Georgetown, GWU and American University. But the Code Pink gals showed up in their official protest clothes complete with Impeach Bush hats

As well as some of the ANSWER creeps like this one in her Arafat scarf and ANSWER T-shirt who was chanting something while the monks were singing. I wonder if she knows her little Arab buddies bust up Buddist shrines every chance they get. I thought it was pretty offensive myself.

Somehow the Impeach Bush stuff just didn’t fit in with the call for a free Burma – especially since President Bush made a point of telling the UN to get off their fat asses and do something about Burma just the other day. In fact the Burmese at the protest were thankful;

This guy was live-blogging the event to Burma

Finally, we were on our way to the Chinese Embassy

With the Burmese Monks leading the way

When we got to the Chinese Embassy, the monks stood between the protesters and the embassy much as I imagined they stood in front of protesters in Rangoon this week.

Protesters shouted “Shame on you, China” (Video)

And the monks led a traditional song (Video)

I’d say several hundred people showed up – and for an underpublicized event that’s a pretty good turn out for a Friday afternoon in DC during rush hour.

I felt pretty good about myself afterwards – it was pretty black-and-white who was the good guys. And the good guys were well-behaved – well except for the US college students who couldn’t follow instructions from the police – like “stay on the sidewalk”.

There shouldn’t have been any US partisanship – but there was. Some goofball fellow wearing a pink tie and pink socks and a pink “Peace” bumpersticker on his hat pulled up on his bicycle and yelled “Impeach Bush and save Burma” Of course, he got a giggle from the barren old hags from Code Pink – but pretty much was ignored by the others. Other than that, it would have been a nice non-partisan event supporting an oppressed people.

Michele Malkin has the skinny on what’s happening in Burma. My protest buddy (three protests in two weeks), Kate from A Columbo-Americana’s Perspective was there and took some great pictures. She exchanged words with a Pinko, apparently.

UPDATE: Spanish Pundit attended the protest in support of Burmese in Madrid today (Saturday) and writes a bit about Zapatero’s response to their plight.

Category: Foreign Policy, Politics, Protests/Rallies, Society