In pictures: Myanmar protests gather momentum

6 February 2021

Myanmar coup

Demonstrators flash the three-finger salute in Yangon, Myanmar — Image caption,
Protesters turned out in their thousands to oppose the military's suspension of democracy in Myanmar

Chanting in favour of democracy, thousands of people have flooded the streets of Myanmar's largest city to denounce last week's military coup.

The protests are the biggest display of defiance yet against the generals who seized power from elected leaders on Monday.

Myanmar - also known as Burma - has remained mostly calm since the coup.

But as anger has grown, small acts of civil disobedience have morphed into larger demonstrations.

People make three-finger salutes during an anti-coup march in Yangon, Myanmar — Image caption,
Myanmar's military placed heavy restrictions on the internet ahead of the protests

A police vehicle makes its way through a demonstration against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar — Image caption,
Yangon on Saturday saw the largest street protest since the military coup

On Saturday, an almost total internet blackout failed to prevent groups of workers from streaming through Myanmar's main city, Yangon.

They were joined by young activists who demanded the release of civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained by the army.

Riot police stand guard as anti-coup protesters march through the streets in Yangon, Myanmar — Image caption,
Protesters called on police to support the people not the new military regime

A demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar — Image caption,
Riot police blocked some roads in parts of Yangon, where protesters gathered

"Military dictator, fail, fail; Democracy, win, win," shouted some protesters, many of whom wore red - the colour of Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

Some protesters held pictures of Ms Suu Kyi, while others flashed a three-finger salute - an act of resistance to authoritarianism.

Protesters flash the three-finger salute in Yangon, Myanmar — Image caption,
Many of the protests have been led by young demonstrators, who have condemned the military

"They don't respect our people's votes and I think they are betraying the country," one protester told AFP news agency. "Our revolution starts today."

The protests came after a week of civil disobedience, which saw citizens banging pots and pans in nightly protests, as well as teachers and medics going on strike.

People attend a night protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar — Image caption,
Residents in some cities have held nightly protests, banging pots and pans

On Friday, hundreds of teachers and students gathered outside Dagon University in Yangon, where they displayed the three-finger salute.

In response, the military ordered an internet shutdown and cracked down on social media, blocking Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

University teachers in Kachin State protesting against the military coup in Myanmar — Image caption,
Strikes against the military takeover have been staged at universities and hospitals

Despite this, demonstrators have promised to come back to the streets on Sunday.

The military overthrew Ms Suu Kyi's government after it alleged a November election won by her party was fraudulent, without providing conclusive evidence.

The move has been met with international outrage.