Thai protesters host Harry Potter-themed rally

by Matthew Escosia
SEA Wave Harry Potter Rally Thailand
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A group of activists in Thailand decided to incorporate familiar elements from Harry Potter for their recent rally petitioning an anti-criticism law passed by Thailand’s royal family.

The Thai royal family, headed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, announced that those who will be defaming or criticizing them will be punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Thailand’s lese majeste laws.

Over 200 protesters were dressed like Harry Potter and other characters of J.K. Rowling’s popular franchise as a reference to the increasing amount of injustices made by their local government, backed by the military.

The rally of the protesters even brought their own wands, wooden sticks ala Quidditch broomsticks, and built a straw-man figure reminiscent of the franchise’s big baddie Voldemort to amplify the atmosphere of their protest. Everyone wore face masks as well as part of their safety precaution from the crowd.

SEA WAve Harry Potter Rally Thailand

Photo from Lauren DeCicca-Getty Images.

The rally was named as “Harry Potter vs You-Know-Who/He-Who-Must-Not Be Named,” with one of the organizers calling out that “bringing democracy to Thailand shouldn’t be wizardry.”

A leader of the protest warns Insider News that due to the nature of their activity, they are expecting that “someone in power will probably ban Harry Potter novels in Thailand by now.”

Students from Kaset and Mahanakorn universities has formally requested the Thai government to pay attention to their protests. They also urged them to reform the lese majeste laws in-question that ban any forms of criticisms about the monarchy.

SEA Wave Harry Potter Rally Thailand

Photo from AP.

Lawyer Anon Nampa said in an interview with Reuters that “talking about this is not an act to topple the monarchy, but to allow the monarchy to exist in Thai society in the right way and legitimately under a democratic and a constitutional monarchy.”

Featured photo from AP-MMA.

 

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