2.28: Students

More than half of Egypt's population is under 25. In an article titled "The Arab World's Youth Army", Ellen Knickmeyer describes the youth populations (under 30) in North Africa and the Middle East to be sixty percent of its population. Wael Ghonim, Head of Marketing for Google in the same region and one of the main figures of the protests against Mubarak was only 30 years old. Many other organizers of recent protests across the Middle East and in North Africa, as well as of the worldwide demonstrations in support of the recent revolutions, have been even younger. 

Just two months ago, student protests with tens of thousands of supporters took London by surprise, as students expressed their anger over the three-fold tuition increases. In Canada, six years ago, budget cuts to Grants and Loans in Quebec drove over 100 000 protesting students to the streets of Montreal.

A famous student-led protest turned violent on June 4, 1989. The Tienanmen Square Massacre led to thousands of deaths. Protests for basic rights and freedoms continue today, where activists inspired by the revolutions in the Middle East are being arrested and kept silent by police.

64 years ago, students were the leaders, the peacemakers, the hope, and - the martyrs - of Taiwan, during a dark time in Taiwanese history - the 228 Massacre in Taiwan and the following 40 years of martial law. I gave a brief introduction in an earlier post when I visited the 228 Peace Park in Taipei last summer:

Taipei 228 Monument

"After lunch, we walked eastward to the 228 Peace Park, only about ten minutes away. The park was renamed in 1997 to commemorate the tens of thousands of Taiwanese that were killed in the 228 Massacre. The massacre occurred in 1947, amid tensions between the Nationalist Chinese forces that fled to Taiwan after losing the civil war in China and the local Taiwanese people. An incident involving the KMT police killing a Taiwanese woman illegally selling cigarettes on the eve of February 28th led to more confrontations. Within a week, the KMT had requested reinforcements, with the arrival of thousands of troops randomly and systematically killing the Taiwanese elite – teachers, local politicians, doctors, students - anyone who could potentially pose a threat. The 228 incident marked the beginning of 40 years of "White Terror", the longest period of Marshall law in modern history."

Many of the confrontations between the Chinese Nationalists and the Taiwanese soon after February 28, 1947, were student led. Local Taiwanese leaders demanded rights and negotiated propositions with the KMT to bring order, reduce corruption, and restore the balance of power in their communities. Young students (including junior high and high school students) set up police forces to temporarily maintain peace and order.  The Nationalist government appeared to withdraw and engage in discussions, while in reality, they had called for reinforcements and waiting until March 8, when soldiers arrived and began to round up, arrest, and kill leaders, intellectuals, and students in the communities. The peacekeepers were asked to hand over their weapons before they were murdered with them. And in a short period of time, a generation of leaders and thinkers was lost.

As we commemorate the loss of lives in our history's most tragic moments, whether it's Remembrance Day, or a day like today, the world's current struggles remind us that the fight for basic human rights is far from over. Let us remember that the spirits and guiding principles of the student martyrs of human history still remain at heart in the students today, leading protests and revolutions - small steps that make the world a better place.

Water under the Monument.