South Koreans Banned From Gathering Protest With Holograms Instead

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These days, you can make purchases with your voice so why not protest without actually being there. A group of protesters in Seoul, Korea marched in virtual unison out of necessity, not experimentation. 

According to the Daily Dot, citizens gathered on the third anniversary of South Korean President Park Geun-hye's election to protest as holograms. The event was put together by Amnesty Internationals a way of addressing the government's intrusion of free speech. In the past, officials have tried to ban protests and free assembly so it’s not surprising that protesters were denied permission by the Seoul Metropolitan Police to organize. They were told that such a rally would cause issues with traffic.

As a way around that, Amnesty International recorded 120 volunteers on a blue screen. Their images were projected on a giant screen, supported by vocal recordings uploaded to the human rights organization’s website. The 30-minute digital march featured chants such as "promise us democracy" and "promise us freedom of assembly."

However, even that was too much for officials who threatened to punish anyone who joined them. "We will restrain anyone who chants along to the hologram or expresses a collective will. That in and of itself is a demonstration," Chief Lee Sang-won said during a news conference, according to NPR.

Yikes. 

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