,
8 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
With helpful steers from my old friend @TimothyS, I've spent some time looking into the organization, logistics and character of the South Korean 'Candlelight Revolution,' which precipitated the impeachment of Pres. Park Geun-hye by parliament.
The 'Candlelight' demonstrations, which took place on 20 consecutive Saturday nights from late Oct. 2016 to early March 2017, are often cited by American resisters as an example of street action we should be adopting. I wanted to see how those demonstrations came together. 
The protests were organized by 'Energy Citizen Action for Park Geun-hye's Resignation' (aka 'Emergency Citizen Action' or ECA. ECA was itself a loose, purpose-specific coalition of 2,300 civic groups in 70 cities. These groups were largely 'progressive or reformist in nature.'
The number of protesters rose rapidly after the protests started. A total of 16-17mm (out of a population of 51mm) are reported to have participated at one time or another. At peak, in early Dec. '16, more than 2mm ppl came out on one occasion, in Seoul alone.
Information technology and social media were probably used more extensively in 'marketing' the 'Candlelight' movement than in any previous protest movement.
ECA managed the logistics of the weekly events. They aimed for family participation, and in fact large numbers of very young children participated. In winter, they handed out mittens and hot chocolate for the kids. In warmer weather, they switched to cotton candy and balloons.
Fireworks and live music were mainstays. Humor was a constant (cartoons, floats and sculptures, live performances). "The demonstrations for all their lack of organized leadership were entirely peaceful and orderly, full of festive humor and innovative actions."
My takeaway: if we are to have large scale, sustained public protests in the U.S., it will need at least the semblance of a national organization, which can reach out to and work through a large network of existing organizations. END
