Mainstream Media Discovers 'Unrest' When Oppressor Falls
RT reports that the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a figure in last year's Bangladesh uprising, has 'sparked unrest.' (As if peace was just spontaneously interrupted, rather than already a distant memory for the populace.) What this sanitized framing misses is the brutal context: Hadi's alleged shooting comes after months of violent government crackdowns against protestors, and a history of political
assassinations and disappearances in Bangladesh (Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International). The previous government, notoriously authoritarian, systematically suppressed dissent, jailed opposition figures, and manipulated elections, fueling the very 'unrest' now being reported. So, when a leader from such an uprising is killed, the resulting demonstrations aren't 'sparked' into existence by a
single death—they are the continuation of a struggle violently suppressed, a long-burning fuse lit anew. One might wonder if news outlets prefer to present popular revolts as spontaneous outbursts, rather than the consequence of sustained, systematic oppression, for fear of legitimizing similar grievances closer to home.