The worldwide spread of protests this year may have started with the Arab spring, but when Kuwaiti demonstrators stormed their parliament on Wednesday, they appeared to be taking a page from the more theatric elements of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The protestors' raid was brief. They called for the fall of the Prime Minister, sang the national anthem, and left after a few moments. Riot police beat several demonstrators as they subsequently attempted a charge on the Prime Minister's residence. If the flash-mob-like action left some parliamentarians stunned, it perplexed many Kuwaitis, who are still parsing the symbolism, and who fear that it may presage a violent evolution in national politics. “Things are taking a dangerous turn,” says Ebthal al-Khateeb, a professor of English Literature at Kuwait University, speaking over the phone. “We have a constitution, and it should have saved us from these kind of clashes. Instead both the government and the opposition are using unconstitutional means to get their way.”
>> more... >>
No comments:
Post a Comment