PARIS: When you’re an activist looking for a way to convey a complex message in a complicated world, you need a hook — something that can command attention across cultures in a memorable and visually arresting way.
So what’s more elemental than associating yourself with a specific color? Just as this month’s demonstrations in France are built around the “yellow vests” that all French drivers must carry in their cars, so, too, have previous movements aligned themselves with specific hues to punch through the static and make a topical statement.
What kind of political movements have built their messages around color in the past?
Here’s a brief review of a few.
YELLOW VEST PROTESTS, FRANCE 2018
“Yellow vest” protests have gripped France for four weeks, blocking highways from Provence to Normandy and erupting in rioting in Paris. They’ve shaken the country to its core and left President Emmanuel Macron struggling to retain control.
The unifying shade is in fact the fluorescent yellow-green of security vests that all French drivers must carry in their vehicles in case of car trouble. To many protesters, the vests represent an annoying, government-imposed burden — so they co-opted the garment to broadcast their anger over high taxes and other grievances to the highest levels.
The clusters of high-visibility vests at roadblocks in cities, towns and villages around France act like a beacon to would-be followers of the movement, especially as protests last through the night and the darkest, grayest days of the French year. When demonstrations erupt in violence, the vests also make protesters an easy target for police.
GREEN ABORTION RIGHTS MOVEMENT, ARGENTINA, 2018
The homeland of Pope Francis was closer than ever this year to legalizing abortion after a wave of demonstrations by women’s rights groups and shifting public opinion. The demonstrators staged wide protests in the streets of Argentina wearing green handkerchiefs that symbolize the abortion rights movement.
Lawmakers in August voted against the bill that would have allowed abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. But women’s groups across Latin America have vowed to keep fighting for a right to abortion.
UMBRELLA MOVEMENT, HONG KONG, 2014
The color yellow was closely associated with massive pro-democracy protests known as the Umbrella Movement. Umbrellas used as protection from pepper spray and tear gas gave the movement its name, and a yellow umbrella came to symbolize it.
Supporters wore yellow ribbons, and a huge yellow banner demanding true universal suffrage was hung from Lion Rock, a well-known landmark. Explanations about how yellow came to represent the protests vary, with some tracing it back to early stirrings of democracy in the 1980s, when the color was borrowed from Philippine protesters who had driven out dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
GREEN MOVEMENT, IRAN 2009
Iran’s largest protests since its 1979 Islamic Revolution grew out of the disputed re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His reformist challenger, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, had picked green for his campaign urging changes within Iran’s theocracy.
Green is a favored color in Islamic tradition. Others linked it to nature. Poet Eqbal Mansourian warmed up the crowd at one Mousavi rally with the verse: “Make our lives green again, make it rain again, make us hope again.”
Those protesting Ahmadinejad’s win amid widespread allegations of vote rigging adopted the color. Security forces ultimately crushed the demonstrations in violence that saw dozens killed, thousands arrested and others tortured in prison.
THE SAFFRON REVOLUTION, MYANMAR 2007
Buddhist monks were at the forefront of mass protests in 2007 against the country’s military government, and the color of their robes gave the movement its popular Saffron Revolution name.
The government’s decision to raise fuel prices triggered the demonstrations, and at one point, as many as 10,000 monks were reported to have taken part in an anti-government march in Mandalay, in the country’s spiritual heartland. The protests were crushed violently.
The population of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is about 90% Buddhist, and the tradition of political activism among the country’s monks dates back to at least the 1920s, when they were closely involved with the movement that sought colonial Burma’s independence from Britain.
YELLOW SHIRTS AND RED SHIRTS, THAILAND 2006
Thailand’s Yellow Shirts and Red Shirts represent two opposing political factions: respectively, opponents of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and his supporters.
The Yellow Shirts derived their identity from the color associated with the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Royal celebrations for his 60th anniversary on the throne coincided with protests to forced Thaksin out of office for alleged abuse of power, and protest leaders adopted the yellow shirt movement as their own.
The Red Shirts rose in response after Thaksin was ousted in a September 2006 military coup. Red is the color of the Thai flag representing ‘nation,’ one of Thailand’s so-called three pillars, along with religion (represented by white) and monarchy (blue).
ORANGE REVOLUTION, UKRAINE 2004
Orange was the campaign color of Ukraine’s pro-Western presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in the 2004 presidential election. His supporters challenged the victory of his pro-Russia rival in the runoff vote and took to the streets in what was dubbed the Orange Revolution.
Massive protests forced the authorities to annul the result and order a new election that Yushchenko won. Russia blamed the West for supporting the protests.
BLUE STATES, RED STATES, UNITED STATES 2000
The notion of “blue states” and “red states” in the United States emerged during the aftermath of the contested 2000 election when TV networks used frequent on-air maps to show the breakdown between states going for Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore.
Though no specific decision was made to render Republicans red and Democrats blue — and, in fact, the opposite had been used sometimes previously — the two colors of the American flag emerged as symbols of their parties that year.
Today, nearly two decades later, talk of red and blue states and even “Red America” and “Blue America” continues, and the relationship between the parties and their respective hues has grown even closer, to the point where some male politicians in the two parties avoid wearing ties in colors that symbolize their opposition.
YELLOW REVOLUTION, PHILIPPINES 1986
When Philippine opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. flew home on Aug. 21, 1983 from years of self-exile, pro-democracy activists in yellow shirts, dresses, hats and ribbons turned up at Manila’s airport and his residence to welcome him.
The color was inspired by the 1973 top-selling single “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree,” a song about an ex-prisoner wondering if he’s still welcome back home.
Aquino was gunned down at the airport, and the brazen assassination ignited massive protests that culminated in the largely nonviolent “people power” revolt and ousted authoritarian leader Ferdinand Marcos three years later.
The army-backed uprising was also dubbed the “Yellow Revolution” for the color that united massive numbers of protesters from all walks of life.
Yellow, green, saffron: Colors of protests around the world
Yellow, green, saffron: Colors of protests around the world
- The homeland of Pope Francis was closer than ever this year to legalizing abortion after a wave of demonstrations by women’s rights groups and shifting public opinion
- The population of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is about 90% Buddhist, and the tradition of political activism among the country’s monks dates back to at least the 1920s
New Zealanders save more than 30 stranded whales
- New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders
- New Zealand has recorded more than 5,000 whale strandings since 1840
WELLINGTON: More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. Four of the pilot whales died, New Zealand’s conservation agency said.
New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders.
A team was monitoring Ruakaka Beach near the city of Whangarei in New Zealand’s north on Monday to ensure there were no signs of the whales saved Sunday stranding again, the Department of Conservation said. The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod.
“It’s amazing to witness the genuine care and compassion people have shown toward these magnificent animals,” Joel Lauterbach, a Department of Conservation spokesperson, said in a statement. “This response demonstrates the deep connection we all share with our marine environment.”
A Maori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place on Monday. New Zealand’s Indigenous people consider whales a taonga – a sacred treasure – of cultural significance.
New Zealand has recorded more than 5,000 whale strandings since 1840. The largest pilot whale stranding was of an estimated 1,000 whales at the Chatham Islands in 1918, according to the Department of Conservation.
It’s often not clear why strandings happen but the island nation’s geography is believed to be a factor. Both the North and South Islands feature stretches of protruding coastline with shallow, sloping beaches that can confuse species such as pilot whales – which rely on echolocation to navigate.
Cheating on your spouse is no longer a crime in New York, with the repeal of a little-known 1907 law
Cheating on your spouse is no longer a crime in New York, with the repeal of a little-known 1907 law
ALBANY, N.Y.: New York on Friday repealed a seldom-used, more than century-old law that made it a crime to cheat on your spouse — a misdemeanor that once could have landed adulterers in jail for three months.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill repealing the statute, which dates back to 1907 and has long been considered antiquated as well as difficult to enforce.
“While I’ve been fortunate to share a loving married life with my husband for 40 years — making it somewhat ironic for me to sign a bill decriminalizing adultery — I know that people often have complex relationships,” she said. “These matters should clearly be handled by these individuals and not our criminal justice system. Let’s take this silly, outdated statute off the books, once and for all.”
Adultery bans are actually law in several states and were enacted to make it harder to get a divorce at a time when proving a spouse cheated was the only way to get a legal separation. Charges have been rare and convictions even rarer. Some states have also moved to repeal their adultery laws in recent years.
New York defined adultery as when a person “engages in sexual intercourse with another person at a time when he has a living spouse, or the other person has a living spouse.” The state’s law was first used a few weeks after it went into effect, according to a New York Times article, to arrest a married man and 25-year-old woman.
State Assemblymember Charles Lavine, sponsor of the bill, said about a dozen people have been charged under the law since the 1970s, and just five of those cases resulted in convictions.
“Laws are meant to protect our community and to serve as a deterrent to anti-social behavior. New York’s adultery law advanced neither purpose,” Lavine said in a statement Friday.
The state’s law appears to have last been used in 2010, against a woman who was caught engaging in a sex act in a park, but the adultery charge was later dropped as part of a plea deal.
New York came close to repealing the law in the 1960s after a state commission tasked with evaluating the penal code said it was nearly impossible to enforce.
At the time, lawmakers were initially on board with removing the ban but eventually decided to keep it after a politician argued that repealing it would make it seem like the state was officially endorsing infidelity, according to a New York Times article from 1965.
Banana taped to a wall sells for $6.2 million in New York
- Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun forks over more than six million for the fruit and its single strip of silver duct tape
- Given the shelf life of a banana, Sun is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Maurizio Cattelan
NEW YORK: A fresh banana taped to a wall — a provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — was bought for $6.2 million on Wednesday by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur at a New York auction, Sotheby’s announced in a statement.
The debut of the edible creation entitled “Comedian” at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019 sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art — Cattelan’s stated aim.
Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun on Wednesday forked over more than six million for the fruit and its single strip of silver duct tape, which went on sale for 120,000 dollars five years ago.
“This is not just an artwork. It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” Sun was quoted as saying in the Sotheby’s statement.
“I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history.”
The sale featured seven potential buyers and smashed expectations, with the auction house issuing a guide price of $1-1.5 million before the bidding.
Given the shelf life of a banana, Sun is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Cattelan as well as instructions about how to replace the fruit when it goes bad.
The installation auctioned on Wednesday was the third iteration — with the first one eaten by performance artist David Datuna, who said he felt “hungry” while inspecting it at the Miami show.
Sun, who founded cryptomoney exchange Tron, said that he intended to eat his investment too.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,” he said.
As well as his banana work, Cattelan is also known for producing an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called “America” that was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
His work is often humorous and deliberately provocative, with a 1999 sculpture of the pope stuck by a meteor titled “The Ninth Hour.”
He has explained the banana work as a critical commentary on the art market, which he has criticized in the past for being speculative and failing to help artists.
The asking price of $120,000 for “Comedian” in 2019 was seen at the time as evidence that the market was “bananas” and the art world had “gone mad,” as The New York Post said in a front-page article.
The banana sold on Wednesday was bought for 35 cents from a Bangladeshi fruit seller on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to The New York Times.
Sun has hit headlines in the past as an art collector and as a major player in the murky cryptocurrency world.
He was charged last year by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged market manipulation and unregistered sales of crypto assets, which he promoted with celebrity endorsements, including from Lindsay Lohan.
In 2021, he bought Alberto Giacometti’s “Le Nez” for $78.4 million, which was hailed by Sotheby’s at the time as signaling “an influx of younger, tech-savvy collectors.”
Global art markets have been dropping in value in recent years due to higher interest rates, as well as concern about geopolitical instability, experts say.
“Empire of Light” (“L’Empire des lumieres“), a painting by Rene Magritte, shattered an auction record for the surrealist artist on Tuesday, however, selling for more than $121 million at Christie’s in New York.
Farmer in Argentina gets jail term for killing penguin chicks
- The sheep farmer was found guilty of destroying nests and killing chicks while clearing land along the Punta Tumbo nature reserve
- In his defense, he said he had no choice but to clear the land as the state had failed to set up an access route to his property
BEUNOS AIRES: An Argentinian farmer was given a three-year prison sentence for animal cruelty Wednesday, likely to be commuted, after being found guilty of killing over 100 Patagonian penguin chicks.
The sheep farmer from the southern province of Chubut was found guilty last month of destroying dozens of nests and killing chicks in 2021 while clearing land along the Punta Tumbo nature reserve, home to one of the main colonies of Magellanic penguins on the Atlantic coast.
The farmer is unlikely to be incarcerated as Argentina’s penal code recommends alternatives to prison for a first conviction and sentences up to three years.
Prosecutors had requested a four-year sentence.
Environmental group Greenpeace, the complainant in the case, had welcomed the farmer’s conviction as “an important step for environmental justice.”
The farmer argued there was no choice but to clear the land as the state had failed to set up an access route to his property, or boundaries between his farm and the reserve.
The Magellanic Penguin is listed as a species of “least concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, meaning it is not at risk of extinction even though numbers are in decline.
SpaceX fails to repeat Starship booster catch, as Trump looks on
BOCA CHICA: SpaceX’s Starship megarocket blasted off on its latest test flight Tuesday, with President-elect Donald Trump joining Elon Musk to witness the spectacle firsthand in the latest sign of their ever closer ties.
But the Republican leader was deprived of the chance to see the booster stage caught in the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms, an engineering marvel demonstrated by the company last month and one he personally lauded during his election victory speech.
Instead, the colossal Super Heavy first stage made a more subdued splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Company representatives cited unmet technical criteria, dampening the triumph of an event attended by a bevy of Trump-world figures, including Donald Trump Jr.
Earlier, Trump greeted Musk warmly on Tuesday afternoon, sporting a red MAGA hat as the pair headed off to watch from the control tower of the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, where the rocket blasted off at 4:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) on the sixth test flight for Starship.
SpaceX founder and CEO Musk has been a constant presence at Trump’s side since the incoming president’s election victory, joining him at a meeting with Argentina’s President Javier Milei and even at a UFC bout.
Trump’s decision to travel to Musk’s home turf was the latest sign of the growing alliance between the billionaire duo, which has raised questions over possible conflicts of interests given SpaceX’s lucrative contracts with NASA and the Pentagon.
Tuesday’s launch marked the quickest turnaround between test flights for the world’s most powerful rocket, a gleaming, 121-meter-tall (400-foot) stainless steel colossus central to Musk’s ambition of colonizing Mars and making humanity a multiplanetary species.
Musk aims to launch the first uncrewed missions to the Red Planet as early as 2026, coinciding with the next “Mars transfer window” — a period when the journey between Earth and Mars is at its shortest.
NASA is also counting on a specialized version of Starship to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade under its Artemis program.
Flight six of Starship was seen as a test of whether SpaceX’s first booster catch was pure precision or relied on a stroke of luck after Musk — perhaps inadvertently — disclosed how close the last flight came to disaster.
In a clip posted to X showcasing his gaming chops in “Diablo IV,” sharp-eared fans caught an employee briefing him that the Super Heavy booster was “one second away” from a system failure that could have spelled catastrophe.
Starship’s upper stage will make a partial orbit of Earth, reenter the atmosphere and splash down in the Indian Ocean a little over an hour later, but this time in the daylight, providing clearer visuals for analysis.
Key milestones include reigniting Starship’s Raptor engines for the first time in space and trialing new heat shield materials. The flight also carries Starship’s first ever payload — a stuffed banana — and serves as a swan song for the current generation of Starship prototypes.
With twice the thrust of the Saturn V rockets that powered Apollo missions, Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. Musk has already teased that its successor, Starship V3, will be “3X more powerful” and could take flight within a year.
The flight comes as Musk is riding high on Trump’s November 5 White House win, having campaigned extensively for the returning Republican leader, as well as donating staggering sums from his own fortune to the cause.
His loyalty has paid off. Musk has been tapped to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” — or DOGE, a cheeky nod to the meme-based cryptocurrency Musk loves to promote.
That in turn has led to concerns Musk could engage in “self-dealing” as the CEO is poised to straddle the line between government insider and corporate titan.
Critics worry he could sway regulatory decisions to benefit his six companies, including SpaceX and its marquee Starship program, which has faced launch delays linked to an environmental review the company called “superfluous.”
