Citizens Shout "Down with Military Dictatorship"
On the 22nd (local time), protesters held signs reading "We do not tolerate the coup" outside Hledan Center in the heart of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. As Myanmar enters the fourth week since the coup, the military resistance group "Civil Disobedience Movement" declared a general strike and urged citizens to participate. A general strike condemning the military coup erupted across Myanmar on the 22nd, with millions pouring into the streets.
According to local Myanmar media and foreign news outlets, from early morning, countless citizens took to the streets nationwide, including the largest city Yangon.
Although the military regime mentioned "loss of life" in a statement issued the previous night, raising concerns about violent suppression, citizens intensified their calls to "Overthrow the Military Dictatorship," putting pressure on the military government.
The protest held on February 22, 2021, was called the "22222 Protest," named after the five 2s representing the date and the general strike condemning the coup. It saw participation from all walks of life, including public officials, bank employees, and railway workers, marking the largest turnout since the coup.
On social media, images appeared showing crowds filling the streets from Hledan Intersection in Yangon, the protest epicenter, to Mandalay?where two people died from gunfire by military police over the weekend?and from Manaw in northern Kachin State to the southernmost Kawthaung.
The "Civil Disobedience Movement," organized mainly by medical personnel after the coup, urged through social media over the weekend for a general strike involving all industries across Myanmar on this day.
The general strike was modeled after the so-called "8888 Uprising" that demanded democratization in 1988.
The "8888 Uprising" refers to the street protests on August 8, 1988, in Yangon, Myanmar’s capital at the time, where tens of thousands of students demanded the resignation of the dictator General Ne Win, who wielded absolute power, and called for democratization.
Citizens named the general strike protest on this day the "22222 Protest" and used the hashtag "#2Fivegeneralstrike" when posting related content on social media.
The general strike saw massive participation from workers in the textile industry, public officials, medical personnel, as well as restaurants, shops, and self-employed individuals.
Myanmar’s largest retailer City Mart and Thailand’s major wholesaler Makro also announced they would close for the day.
In response, the military government issued a warning message the day before the general strike.
The State Administration Council (SAC), the military government’s highest body, stated in a declaration broadcast on state-run MRTV the previous night, "It has been revealed that protesters incited riots and anarchy on February 22," and claimed, "The protesters are inciting the public, especially emotionally vulnerable teenagers and young people, down a path of confrontation that risks loss of life."
The Myanmar military seized power on February 1, citing the civilian government’s failure to properly investigate serious fraud in last November’s general election.
Coinciding with the protests, the United Nations and the European Union (EU) immediately called for an end to the crackdown and warned of sanctions, continuing international pressure on the Myanmar military.
The European Union (EU) said on the day, "We are prepared to adopt targeted measures against those directly responsible for the military coup and their economic interests," pressuring the military regime.
UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres also urged, "The Myanmar military must immediately cease the crackdown, release detainees, stop the violence, and respect human rights and the will of the people expressed in the recent election."
Despite the international community’s expression of concern over the Myanmar situation and indications of sanctions, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned such actions as "clear interference in internal affairs" in a press release issued the previous day.
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