POWER TO THE PEOPLE
PROGRAMME 2: F TO J
Fan power
This segment shows how thousands of Manchester United fans worked together in 'civil rights style' to protest against Malcolm Glaser's takeover plans. The methods they used included flash mobbing, hoax deliveries, telephone jamming and demonstrations. A minority engaged in violence. Disgruntled fans continue to protest by supporting the alternative club, FC United of Manchester, which plays at Gigg Lane in Bury.
Globalisation
Using examples from around the world, global justice campaigner Joe Zacune explains why people participate in anti-globalisation events and what they hope to achieve. The segment includes archive footage and eyewitness reports about the anti-globalisation protest at the G8 summit in Genoa, in 2001. These introduce issues such as police brutality and its effect on protestors, and the impact that a few violent protestors can have on an otherwise peaceful protest.
Human rights
Using freedom of expression as an example, this segment looks at how legislation can limit human rights. It presents different perspectives on the impact of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
Iconography
This segment is about the imagery of protest. Rebekka Kill from Leeds Metropolitan University explains that graffiti represents the lone voice of protest, while icons are largely used by protest movements. She states that icons 'humanise the enemy' and portray familiar roles – for example, hero, martyr, rebel – that are seen and recognised by millions of people around the world. The icons featured include:
- flames enveloping a Buddhist monk – image from a protest against the persecution of Buddhists in Vietnam in 1963
- tank man – image of a man in Tiananmen Square in 1989, standing in front of tanks and impeding their progress
- a hooded man in black standing on a box with wires connected to his body – image of prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2004.
John and Yoko
Using archive footage, this segment discusses how John and Yoko manipulated the media to promote world peace and protest against the Vietnam War. It also introduces the concept of protest songs. Two New Zealand artists are interviewed over the internet and explain how they staged a bed-in in response to 9/11.
