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BANGKOK: Bangkok has been dominated by a rubber duck frenzy since protesters used giant inflatables to ward off the water cannon last month.
When police cracked down on a November rally, deploying tear gas and water cannons in front of parliament, images of protesters hiding behind giant ducks went viral.
Within days, duck-themed paraphernalia became a staple among street vendors at protests, with birds appearing on everything from hats to hair clips.
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A protester uses a shield to protect against water cannons during an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 17, 2020 (Photo: Reuters / Athit Perawongmetha).
A protester wearing a duck-themed face mask does the three-finger salute during an anti-government rally in Bangkok on November 28, 2020 (Photo: AFP / Jack Taylor).
Protesters call for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a rewrite of the constitution drawn up by the army and reforms to the monarchy, a demand that smashes taboos in a country where the ultra-wealthy royal family has long been untouchable .
The appearance of the toy as a symbol of protest happened by accident. The protesters were intended to float on inflatable ducks down Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River behind the parliament as legislators from the interior debated proposals for a constitutional change.
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Protesters wear duck-themed items as they await the start of an anti-government rally at the Lat Phrao intersection in Bangkok on December 2, 2020 (Photo: AFP / Mladen Antonov).
Protesters wear duck-themed masks and headbands at a rally in Bangkok. (Photo: AFP / Mladen Antonov)
But since its redeployment as protection against tear gas and water laced with chemicals fired from the cannons, some protesters say the ducks have helped the protest movement win the public relations war with authorities.
“Simply put, they are the guards of the people who use peaceful ways to protest. We have cute ducks to fight fully armed policemen, and that shows that we are better,” said a 30-year-old protester named Sam.
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Protesters carry large inflatable ducks during an anti-government rally at the Lat Phrao intersection in Bangkok. (Photo: AFP / Mladen Antonov)
A vendor is seen selling duck-themed merchandise at a rally in Bangkok. (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha)
Rattikarn Saehor, 39, sells duck bubble blowers at a stall and said his products help lighten the mood at the demonstrations.
“We want the protest to be less stressful, full of creative ideas that show that we really like to protest with peace and that we don’t want any violence to happen, that’s why the ducks have helped make everything seem lighter and smoother,” he said to AFP.
He said that the proceeds from their sales had supported the volunteer medical teams in the protests.
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A small yellow rubber duck is placed on the head of a cat during a rally. (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha)
Human rights lawyer Anon Numpa wears a duck-themed outfit while speaking to protesters during an anti-government rally outside the Siam Commercial Bank headquarters in Bangkok on November 25, 2020 (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha).
It is not the first time that bath time friends have been used as symbols of defiance and protest.
In 2013, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s 16-meter inflatable duck sculpture floated in Hong Kong harbor, but quickly became embroiled in controversy.
A Weibo user edited a famous image from the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, replacing tanks with ducks, prompting a Chinese government internet search ban on the “big yellow duck.”
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A protester holding an inflatable unicorn shows the three-finger salute during a demonstration in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 27, 2020 (Photo: Reuters / Athit Perawongmetha).
A protester with a small rubber duck in his cap holds up a simulated banknote during an anti-government demonstration in front of the Siam Commercial Bank headquarters in Bangkok on November 25, 2020 (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha).
Giant inflatable rubber ducks appeared at protests in Brazil in 2016 during a push to impeach then-President Dilma Rousseff and highlight the economic “charlatanism” of her government amid a recession.
And they became a symbol of protest in Russia in 2017 when it emerged that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev owned several luxury properties, including one featuring a special house for ducks in a pond.
