The three-finger salute is a hand gesture made by raising the index, middle and ring fingers, while holding the thumb to the little finger, and raising the hand with the palm facing out in a salute. The gesture was popularized in the 2010s after its use in The Hunger Games as a symbol of revolution. The gesture has been adopted by protesters, particularly for pro-democracy protest movements in Southeast Asia, mainly in Thailand and Myanmar, as well as in other countries, including Hong Kong.
The gesture was popularized in the 2010s by The Hunger Games , a series of fiction books and films by Suzanne Collins. It bears resemblance to earlier salutes such as the Scout sign and salute and the Ukrainian salute mimicking the Tryzub symbol.
In The Hunger Games, the gesture is made by pressing the three middle fingers of the left hand to the lips and then raising it to the air. It initially appears in the first book and film of the series, when the people of District 12 salute Katniss Everdeen after she volunteers to participate in the Hunger Games in place of her sister. Later, in the second part of the series ( Catching Fire ), an old man in the crowd salutes Katniss this way during a tour by the victors, and the gesture becomes a symbol of the revolution along with the mockingjay song whistled by Katniss in her first games. [1]
This section needs expansionwith: More context is necessary to understand the origins and history behind the use of the salute in these countries.. You can help by adding to it. (December 2023) |
The salute first became a real-world pro-democracy symbol in the aftermath of the 2014 Thai coup d'état. [2] Due to its use, the military announced that it would arrest anyone who displayed the salute and that the symbol was made illegal in Thailand. [3] Protesters have since added symbolism to the gesture, stating that the three fingers stand for the French Revolutionary ideal of liberty, equality, fraternity. [4] The gesture was revived by protesters in the 2020 Thai political crisis. [5]
In response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, a group of about 200 Burmese expatriates and some Thai pro-democracy activists including Parit Chiwarak and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul protested the coup at the Burmese embassy on Sathon Nuea Road in Bangkok, Thailand, with some protesters reportedly showing the three-finger salute. [6] The protest ended with a police crackdown; two protestors were injured and hospitalised, and two others were arrested. [7]
The trend was sparked by students [8] but has since been adopted by supporters of progressive parties, such as the Move Forward (formerly Future Forward) Party. [9]
The salute was used for a time during the Umbrella Movement in 2014 [10] before being revived in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, inspired by its renewed usage in Thailand, [11] and continues to be used to symbolize resistance against the Chinese government. [12]
The salute became a symbol of opposition to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and subsequent civil war. [13] The movement was launched on social media, and many celebrities from Myanmar such as Paing Takhon and Dave Leduc have joined the movement. [14] [15]
Mu Sochua, former vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), called on the opposition party's supporters to adopt the symbol as a sign of solidarity with Myanmar and as a protest against the current government of Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). [16] A representative of the CPP condemned these actions, saying that they were undermining the country. [17]
In preparation for the 2024 Indonesian presidential election, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) supported presidential candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, adopted the all black attire and three-finger salute as his campaign motif and hand gesture. [18] On 20 February 2023, a video widely shared on his Twitter account, Ganjar was seen raising his hands in the three-finger salute amidst a crowd of supporters, dressed in all black— reminiscent to pro-democracy protesters seen in Thailand and Hong Kong. [18] [19] The captions In the video reads, "This is not about Ganjar. It's not about power. This is about Indonesia." further stating in the post that the salute signify "Three fingers three promises: Obey God, obey the law, and be loyal to the people." [20] The change was seen as a significant departure from the PDI-P's Sign of the horns salute, commonly associated to President Jokowi's administration. [21] [22]
The thaw in relations between President Jokowi and his political party is seen as the primary reason for this change, following a controversial constitutional court ruling that allows the nomination of President Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka (aged 35), as Prabowo Subianto's running mate and given that Gibran's uncle and the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, Anwar Usman was also involved in the ruling. [23] Observers view the abrupt choice of the three-finger salute as an act of resistance against perceived unfair democratic processes. [24] [25] After Ganjar's hand symbol reveal, the Ministry of Home Affairs reminded all civil servants in the Indonesian government to refrain from using any hand symbolism or poses related to presidential candidates, [26] [27] with the consequence of getting fired upon those who do not comply or got caught, even when the gesture was accidental. The ministry stated that the directive aims to ensure neutrality throughout the two-year process of the 2024 Indonesian general election. [28] [29]
Before its adoption as a pro-democracy symbol, Philippine senator Miriam Defensor Santiago used it in a 2013 privilege speech in response to then-Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, criticizing his personal and political conduct dating back to Ferdinand Marcos's regime, in response to his allegations about her mental health. [30] In this context, she deviated from her prepared remarks after declaring, "His mind is sick, sick, sick...[You are] three times sick!" using the language of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire . [31] [32]
In 2017, a group of critics of President Rodrigo Duterte also used the salute to express dissent towards his administration and the killings related to the country's war on drugs. [33]
The non-profit organization Harry Potter Alliance used the three-finger salute to criticize economic and wage inequality in American companies such as Walmart and McDonald's. [34] The move was supported by the AFL–CIO, who responded by posting pictures of union leaders posing with the symbol. [35]
The Hunger Games salute bears resemblance to the earlier Scout sign, used since 1908 to represent the three parts of the Scout Promise. Though Collins does not cite it as an inspiration, researcher An Xiao Mina has noted the resemblance's significance in driving the gesture's recognition. [36]
The salute is also somewhat similar to a three-fingered hand salute from Ukraine, though the latter is done with fingers spread out rather than close together. It symbolizes the Tryzub, [37] as for example in pro-independence demonstrations in the late 1980s [38] and in the logo of the (Ukrainian) nationalist Svoboda party. [39]
A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army use formal salutes. Ordinary civilians also salute informally to greet or acknowledge the presence of another person, such as a tip of the hat or a hand wave to a friend or neighbour.
The V sign is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted to make a V shape while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the circumstances and how it is presented.
Three-finger salute may refer to:
The 7th Asian Games were held from 1 to 16 September 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex was built for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for the first time. Tehran, the capital of Iran, played host to 3,010 athletes coming from 25 countries/NOCs, the highest number of participants since the inception of the Games.
The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games is a pancontinental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. It is organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and consists of Indoor and martial arts events with TV broadcasting potential, some of which were not contested at the Asian Games and Asian Winter Games Programs and are not Olympic sports.
Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character and the protagonist of The Hunger Games trilogy written by American author Suzanne Collins. She is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence in the film adaptations The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), formerly Tiger Gate Entertainment, is a diversified media company based in Hong Kong that operates pay television entertainment channels in Asia and oversees Lionsgate distribution rights in Greater China and Southeast Asia. It is a joint venture co-owned by Saban Capital Group, Lionsgate and Celestial Pictures.
The Hunger Games is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 64 years before the original.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is a 2014 American dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong, based on the 2010 novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The sequel to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), it is the third installment in The Hunger Games film series. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland and Sam Claflin. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) joins Alma Coin (Moore), the renegade leader of the underground District 13, in a mass rebellion against the Capitol.
On 22 May 2014, the Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Commander of the Royal Thai Army (RTA), launched a coup d'état, the 12th since the country's first coup in 1932, against the caretaker government of Thailand, following six months of political crisis. The military established a junta called the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to govern the nation. The coup ended the political conflict between the military-led regime and democratic power, which had been present since the 2006 Thai coup d'état known as the 'unfinished coup'. 7 years later, it had developed into the 2020 Thai protests to reform the monarchy of Thailand.
On 17 August 2015, a bombing took place inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand, killing 20 people and injuring 125. Thai police were reported to have arrested two suspects, the second of whom confessed to having been the bomber. He later retracted his confession.
Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, commonly known as Pai Dao Din is a human rights defender and activist from Thailand, who was arrested on 3 December 2016 on charges of Lèse-majesté in Thailand, the first such case under King Vajiralongkorn, following which he faced a secret trial and was then imprisoned. He has been charged and imprisoned multiple times, including for sedition, and most recently, on 9 March 2021, was charged and imprisoned for lese majesty a second time. Jatupat is presently affiliated with the Free People movement.
Paing Takhon is a Burmese model, actor, and singer. He began his entertainment career in 2014 as a runway model. He is also one of the few Myanmar citizens with an international profile, given the country only began opening up to the outside world over the last decade.
The Milk Tea Alliance is an online democracy and human rights movement consisting mainly of netizens from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Myanmar (Burma). It originally started as an internet meme, created in response to the increased presence of Chinese nationalist commentators on social media and has evolved into a dynamic multinational protest movement against authoritarianism and advocating democracy. Aside from the four main countries mentioned, the movement has also established a significant presence in the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Belarus and Iran.
In Thailand, protests began in early 2020 with demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. They later expanded to include the unprecedented demands for reform of the Thai monarchy. The protests were initially triggered by the dissolution of the Future Forward Party (FFP) in late February 2020 which was critical of Prayut, the changes to the Thai constitution in 2017, and the country's political landscape that it gave rise to.
Parit Chiwarak is a Thai political activist, Thammasat University student at the Faculty of Political Science, and one of the leaders of the 2020 Thai protests, via the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group. As of August 2021, he was recently imprisoned again; his bail had been revoked "after a court accepted a prosecution submission that he had broken bail conditions".
A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw — Myanmar's military — which then vested power in a military junta. Acting President of Myanmar Myint Swe proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been transferred to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. It declared the results of the November 2020 general election invalid and stated its intent to hold a new election at the end of the state of emergency. The coup d'état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was to swear in the members elected in the 2020 election, thereby preventing this from occurring. President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained, along with ministers, their deputies, and members of Parliament.
Protests in Myanmar, known locally as the Spring Revolution, began in early 2021 in opposition to the coup d'état on 1 February, staged by Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. As of 23 June 2022, at least 2000 protesters have been killed, 14,000 currently arrested and 700,000 displaced by the junta.
Three finger may refer to:
The electoral campaign for the 2024 Indonesian presidential election of Ganjar Pranowo, two-term governor of Central Java, was officially launched in April 2023 upon his party the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's endorsement of his candidacy on 21 April 2023. On 18 October 2023, PDI-P endorsed Mahfud MD as candidate vice president.