Mass Blood Spill: Part Protest, Part Party, All Peaceful in Thailand

They're known as the "Red Shirts" -- now for a new reason. In one of the strangest forms of mass nonviolent protest in history, about 100,000 pro-democracy activists have pledged to collect 1,000 liters (264 gallons) of their own blood. Why? To spill it on the government headquarters as a symbolic sacrifice toward new elections, to counter the the military-backed current regime.

The protests have been going on peacefully and with a party-like atmosphere for three days in the Thai capital, Bangkok, with more and more activists streaming in by the minute. The mood until this morning was decidedly celebratory, with no police clashes or any other violence reported. People were dancing to music, cooking and drinking and demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva agree to dissolve parliament by midday. Then, this morning, three grenades went off at an army base without any claims being made, with Abhisit-supporters suspected of trying to instigate violence and suppression.

Surprisingly, the major Thai stock market exchange actually rose some $40 million today, indicating that there are also powerful economic forces worldwide that support the demonstrators and want to see them succeed. That's a fact Abhisit has refused to acknowledge in public, saying yesterday that he will not stand down. And that's another reason why the expression "blood will be spilled" will never mean the same thing again thanks to the Red Shirts.

The blood-spilling stunt does tie in with a longstanding if controversial tradition of peace activism called plowshares, in which property but not people can be damaged or destroyed. Plowshare actions, including the spilling of blood at an arms manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania, inspired a movie. But the Thai plowshare brings the technique to a new level in both quantity and quality, literally. However, not even the protesters would want it to detract from getting their point across.

Prime Minister Abhisit took power with the traditional ruling class and army behind him in 2006, away from the immensely popular and democratically elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Abhisit has refused to hold elections fearing that he would lose, as he probably would. His current whereabouts are unknown, although a military camouflage of some kind is suspected. That is why each demonstrator will donate between two and twenty teaspoons of their own blood.

Red Cross officials worried about the sanitary side of the operation, and noted that the blood collected could also save hundreds of lives. Although the use of plowshares in activism is disputed even among activists, there can be no doubt that if the Thais execute their plan, it will be an unprecedented event in protest history. Let's hope it's effective too.

Photo credit:  k.rol2007