South Koreans hold 'ghost protest' over free speech
South Koreans have held a holographic “ghost protest” in capital Seoul against what organizers describe as the erosion of free speech and assembly in the East Asian country.
The virtual demonstration, organized by Amnesty International Korea, was held as dozens of protesters appeared on a giant screen in central Seoul on Wednesday.
Blue hologram images of the protesters were shown on the screen, waving banners and chanting slogans such as “public rally is our right” and “don’t stifle voices of the people.”
Dozens of people took to the streets to watch the virtual demonstration, which was the second such protest in the world following a similar event in Spain last April.
Some people also gathered before the screen, holding a placard that read, “Assembly is a human right.”
Chief Secretary of Amnesty Korea Kim Hee-jin said “the freedom of assembly and demonstration has become a ghost” in Korea.
“Authorities are banning more and more public protests, especially in central Seoul, citing reasons like traffic jams or public inconvenience,” Kim said.
“We wanted to show that the situation has become so restrictive that only ghosts like these may freely march on the street,” she added.
Police in Seoul had earlier vowed a “stern response” to the demonstration, but it did not block the event.
South Korea's police have long been under fire for what critics say is excessive use of force to disperse public protests.
Maina Kiai, UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, accused the government last month of banning protests under the pretext of causing traffic jams and inconvenience to local residents.
He also denounced violent police tactics against protesters including the use of water cannon.
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