By David Streckfuss
The first battle was over royal portraits, or more exactly, what royal portraits might witness.
When representatives of the protesters notified the police that they were not only going to hold a protest but were also going to march, hard negotiations began.
At first, the police claimed that a march would disrupt the “strategic economic points of transportation of the city” and if the procession reached the three key roundabouts in the heart of the city, it would “cause trouble.”
The representatives insisted they would march.
As negotiations wore on, the police revealed their “special” worry: that marchers would pass royal portraits along their route, and they would make the three-finger salute within sight, so to speak, of the portraits
“They tried to admonish us, that if we happened to pass the royal portraits and gave the three-finger…
