Myanmar protesters bedaub streets with ‘red paint’ to condemn military bloodshed amid coup

Protesters in Myanmar on Monday started a nationwide ‘Blood Strike' as they sprayed red paints on the roadways and smeared several cities to express solidarity with the victims shot at by Myanmar's ruling military Junta. In an act to honour the fallen 'pro-democracy heroes' that succumbed to the gunshot wounds of the soldiers, civilians daubed bus stations, billboards, and highways with bright red paint in the second populous city of Yangon. The civil disobedience movement also marked two long months of lethal violence, killings, and bloodshed ensued by the military since it unlawfully seized power by overthrowing the democratically elected government. Some cities witnessed protests with Padauk flowers ahead of Myanmar’s upcoming new year. 

In several footages that emerged online, hundreds of anti-coup protesters laid wreaths in spots where victims were killed by the armed forces in a brutal dissent crackdown. The democracy banners with slogans such as ‘Myanmar Is Bleeding’ were spattered with red acrylic paint. Military rebels addressed the casualties as "heroes who can't come home." Slogans circulated across Myanmar’s social media that portrayed red paint bedaubed placards that read: ‘Fallen, but not forgotten. Rest in power to all our sisters and brothers.’

Many smudged their clothes in the red paint that appeared like bloodbaths flashing the three-finger salute in defiance to the military Junta’s oppressive regime. An ensign with an arrangement of dandelions asked, ‘How many dead bodies needed for the UN to take action.’  A protest leader Khin Sadar asked the demonstrators to launch as many ‘guerilla strikes’ as they can in the coming days in a Facebook post as the Southeastern nation plunged into internet and communication blackouts. 

Military kills 12 civilians in Myaing

On April 1, Myanmar’s armed forces shot live bullets at unarmed protesters in the central town of Myaing, killing at least 12, according to advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). The UN berated the military saying that the crackdown “met the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.” The images of the shooting showed dead bodies lying lifeless across the street with flesh remnants scattered all across the road. One image depicted the head disjointed from the body due to the bullet shot of a soldier. Since 1 Feb 2021, 550 civilians have been killed due to gunshot, including 46 children, as per rights group Save The Children’s tally.