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Time passed, as he usually does, and noon arrived. Andre felt that his stomach was upset with him. He didn’t eat anything since last night. Patting down on his belly, he decided to wait for a little more. It wasn’t time to leave yet.
“Hey, did you eat anything? I’ve seen you here all day” a girl with a bright smile approached Andre.
“And all night” Andre wanted to add, but he just nodded his head in a No.
“Take this” the girl handed him a sandwich, which Andre gladly took. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Protesting” Andre replied with his mouth full.
The girl didn’t said anything, patted him on the back and left in a hurry. Probably she has to go back to her job, Andre thought. The sandwich was quite good. He finished it really fast.
Time flew again. The sun started to fall down. In the whole square, Andre was still alone, still looking at the government building. He didn’t know, but his protest didn’t go unnoticed by the news.
“Hello, my name is Gabriela, from P News. Can you tell us what are you doing here?” a reporter shoved a mic in Andre’s face.
“Watching the government.”
“So you’re protesting?” Gabriela asked again.
“You could say that.” Andre gave another laconic response.
“What are you expecting to achieve with this protest. It’s quite unusual. From our reports you have been here all day.”
“And all night” Andre replied. “I’m not really hoping to achieve anything. I’m just one man. I can’t do that much. I just want to watch them. I want them to know that I’m watching.”
“Them? Do you mean the Government?”
“Yes. I want them to know that at least one citizen is watching” Andre answered, fixing his eyes to the building once again.
People saw the news. For the second night, they left their homes and headed to People’s Square. Some sit down near Andre, sitting in silence like him. Other chanted brining fire and fury toward the Government. Someone brought a big banner “WE ARE WATCHING” and laid down in the square.
There were almost 24 hours since Andre left home. He needed a break. He went home, took a shower and ate something. Then he slept for a couple of hours and returned to the square. It was 6 AM.
To his surprise, a group of people were still there.
“Hey, you’re that guy from the news, right?” one of them greeted him, with a big smile on his face.
“Probably. I haven’t had time to watch the news” Andre replied, shaking the man’s hand.
“Man, you’re awesome. Did you really stay here last night? All night?”
“Yeah. And today I’m back”.
“Today we will be with you. Do you want tea or coffee? Come on, let me introduce the others to you.”
For the second day, Andre watched the government. But today he wasn’t alone. A group of around ten people was with him. He didn’t realised that his actions could inspire people to take action. But he felt a warm feeling inside.
More and more people gathered every day. Following Andre’s example, they didn’t say anything. They just watched. They sat down and watched the Government.
Ten transformed to a hundred. A hundred to a thousand. Then ten thousand. And more.
When thousands of people stay in silence, not saying anything, they seem more dangerous than a mob. At least you know that a mob will be crazy and you can be prepared for that. But a silent protest like this one gives you chills. Thousands of eyes watching you, judging you. Thousand of eyes, each and everyone one of them, like a gun pointed at your head. Who could resist that?
Five days later, the prime minister resigned.
Image source:Pixabay
This story is inspired by the protest in my country. Back in 2017, the government wanted to pass a law that weakened the Justice system. Hundred of thousands of people protested in the streets in the whole country. One young man stood in cold, just like Andre, for a whole night, looking at the Government building. All alone, in the freezing cold of January.
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