Between March and May 2010, nearly 90 people were shot dead and more than 2,100
injured in the most serious street fighting in Bangkok for nearly two decades. Television
images showed protestors dressed in Red Shirts using slingshots to fight soldiers armed
with guns and tanks while shops and buildings burnt. To some observers, these events
were a class-based movement of poor people from Thailand’s rural zones protesting at an
undemocratic government and the lack of inclusion in economic development. But there is
also evidence that these protests – while based on a large component of mass protest from
poorer people – were also carefully managed street theatre. Rather than demonstrating the
power of a workers’ movement, a variety of factors suggest these conflicts represented
clever opportunism of the deposed prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, combined with a
variety of symbolic actions by the poorer activists. This combination of influences meant
that the conflicts in 2010 were not a unified class-based movement, but an alliance of
actors using sporadic and not always successful tactics to influence Thai politics. What
insights can the 2010 Red Shirt protests of Thailand offer to social movement studies?
Between March and May 2010, nearly 90 people were shot dead and more than 2,100injured in the most serious street fighting in Bangkok for nearly two decades. Televisionimages showed protestors dressed in Red Shirts using slingshots to fight soldiers armedwith guns and tanks while shops and buildings burnt. To some observers, these eventswere a class-based movement of poor people from Thailand’s rural zones protesting at anundemocratic government and the lack of inclusion in economic development. But there isalso evidence that these protests – while based on a large component of mass protest frompoorer people – were also carefully managed street theatre. Rather than demonstrating thepower of a workers’ movement, a variety of factors suggest these conflicts representedclever opportunism of the deposed prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, combined with avariety of symbolic actions by the poorer activists. This combination of influences meantthat the conflicts in 2010 were not a unified class-based movement, but an alliance ofactors using sporadic and not always successful tactics to influence Thai politics. Whatinsights can the 2010 Red Shirt protests of Thailand offer to social movement studies?
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