It has been over a month since a military coup overthrew Myanmar’s democratic government and the violence appears to be escalating.
Myanmar’s citizens have been staging mass protests, but recently the military government has been cracking down with increasingly deadly force against them. The violence has claimed the lives of over 30 people in this past week alone.
A group of Bay Area residents, called Free Burma Action Committee, came together shortly after the news of the coup broke over a month ago, and has been working to raise awareness about the ongoing violence in Myanmar. The group has held a series of rallies, the most recent of which happened on Saturday at the Embarcadero.
Organizer Ko Ko Lay told KCBS Radio that they are calling for whatever is necessary to protect the people of Myanmar, also known as Burma.
“United Nations and American Government,” he said, “people in Burma — especially young people — are dying every single day. We need help.”
San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, who represents Daly City, was also at the rally. Daly City is home to a large Burmese community.
“You know we always sort of think about what’s happening in our bubble, let’s look outside our bubble", said Canepa. “When we see things that are unjust, we all need to speak out and call it out, and that’s why we’re here today.”
Civilians in Myanmar have been using the Twitter hashtag #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar to spread information and show the world what is happening.