Reading, Drinking and Dancing with a Chaser of Snark

A reader who prefers not to be named sends in this first-hand account of yesterday’s march-and-melée at the UCV Campus.

It began with the usual confusion about the starting point and route; uncertainty has become a mainstay in recent weeks of street mobilizations. Sophisticated production and days-in-advance mass publicity for these events are a thing of the past: there is no time or money to build tarimas or rent audio equipment. Instead, we run on tactically-convened, stripped-down, home-made rallies that tend to change at the last-minute.

Art. 43 of the Law on Political Parties, Public Meetings and Protests clearly states that every resident of this Republic have the right to free assembly, and need only notify the municipal authorities of plans to hold a public gathering, 24 hours prior to said event. To notify, as you may have gathered, is quite different from to ask for permission, which…