In Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, and in Ferguson, Missouri, in the United States, daily protests have brought life to a standstill this week. In both places, children at mass public demonstrations have become a poignant part of the narrative, and their presence has emphasized the vulnerability of the crowds in the face of heavily armed security forces.
On Tuesday, the sixth day of nationwide anti-government protests that have swept Islamabad, opposition leaders breached the heavily guarded Red Zone, where prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s official residence is, after Sharif did not step down as they had demanded.
The move, by Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice or PTI) and the Pakistani-Canadian cleric Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) party, stirred controversy across the country. According to PTI’s own Twitter feed and several news reports, the thousands of supporters entered with children at their side. Given that the area was guarded by riot police and paramilitary forces, the prospect for violence was very real, and government officials immediately rushed to condemn the decision. One official called it “inhuman” and accused Khan and the PTI leadership of using the children as a human shield.
It is impossible to say what role the presence of children played, nor whether the armed forces would have fired upon or otherwise clashed with the largely unarmed crowd, had there been no children among them. In any case, the protest has so far remained peaceful. Both Khan and Qadri had asked their supporters to strictly remain non-violent, and not to breach the diplomatic enclave.
#CivilDisobedience
#WeLoveIKBecause
#RedZone
#ImranKhan @ImranKhanPTI #NOOONvsJUNOON
#AzadiMarchPTI http://t.co/9wJbOGEaEB—
Mian Hammad-PTI྄ (@MianVirgo) August 18, 2014
This is called passion and enthusiasm, love u kids
In Pakistan and Ferguson, the real risks of bringing children to protests became clear this week
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