On February 1, 2021, Myanmar’s military usurped the powers of the democratically elected government of the National League for Democracy (NLD) by arresting President Win Myint, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other members of the party. As a sign of registering protest, healthcare workers posted pictures on social media wearing red ribbons (a symbol of solidarity) and raising the iconic ‘three-finger salute’.
The gesture was popularised by the protesting youth in Myanmar and was widely used in the protests of Yangon and then Mandalay to seek the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi. The demonstrators also used Pepe the Frog (an internet meme, which was used in the US in 2016 to represent the sinister attitude of Donald Trump) and Doge and Cheems (another meme used during pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong). These characters symbolically expressed the sentiments of the protesters. While the military junta had come down with a heavy hand on the protesters, the protesters raised the salute calling on the international community to take action against the military dictatorship in Myanmar.
Origin of the Gesture
The three-finger salute was first used by the democratic activists in Thailand against the coup by Prayut Chan-ocha in May 2014. This salute became a symbol of resistance with an anti-authoritarian message due to which it was banned in Thailand. However, it became more popular in the rallies and protests that followed, especially during the Umbrella Revolution of 2014 in Hong Kong and the demonstrations against King Vajiralongkorn in Thailand (October 2020).
According to a prominent Thai pro-democracy activist, Sirawith Seritiwat, the three-finger salute represented the concepts of freedom, equality, and solidarity. This salute was borrowed from the Hunger Games books and movie series of Suzanne Collins. The character of Katniss Everdeen in the first Hunger Games movie used this gesture to lodge her protest against a powerful oppressor, President Snow.