Three-finger salute (pro-democracy)



The three-finger salute is a hand gesture made by raising the index, middle and ring fingers, while holding the thumb to the little finger, and raising the hand with the palm facing out in a salute. The gesture was popularized in the 2010s after its use in The Hunger Games as a symbol of revolution. The gesture has been adopted by protesters, particularly for pro-democracy protest movements in Southeast Asia, mainly in Thailand and Myanmar, as well as in other countries, including Hong Kong.

Origins
The gesture was popularized in the 2010s by The Hunger Games, a series of fiction books and films by Suzanne Collins. It bears resemblance to earlier salutes such as the Scout sign and salute and the Ukrainian salute mimicking the Tryzub symbol.

In The Hunger Games, the gesture is made by pressing the three middle fingers of the left hand to the lips and then raising it to the air. It initially appears in the first book and film of the series, when the people of District 12 salute Katniss Everdeen after she volunteers to participate in the Hunger Games in place of her sister. Later, in the second part of the series (Catching Fire), an old man in the crowd salutes Katniss this way during a tour by the victors, and the gesture becomes a symbol of the revolution along with the mockingjay song whistled by Katniss in her first games.

Thailand


The salute first became a real-world pro-democracy symbol in the aftermath of the 2014 Thai coup d'état. Due to its use, the military announced that it would arrest anyone who displayed the salute and that the symbol was made illegal in Thailand. Protesters have since added symbolism to the gesture, stating that the three fingers stand for the French Revolutionary ideal of liberty, equality, fraternity. The gesture was revived by protesters in the 2020 Thai political crisis.

In response to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, a group of about 200 Burmese expatriates and some Thai pro-democracy activists including Parit Chiwarak and Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul protested the coup at the Burmese embassy on Sathon Nuea Road in Bangkok, Thailand, with some protesters reportedly showing the three-finger salute. The protest ended with a police crackdown; two protestors were injured and hospitalised, and two others were arrested.

The trend was sparked by students but has since been adopted by supporters of progressive parties, such as the Move Forward (formerly Future Forward) Party.

Hong Kong
The salute was used for a time during the Umbrella Movement in 2014 before being revived in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, inspired by its renewed usage in Thailand, and continues to be used to symbolize resistance against the Chinese government.

Myanmar


The salute became a symbol of opposition to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and subsequent civil war. The movement was launched on social media, and many celebrities from Myanmar such as Paing Takhon and Dave Leduc have joined the movement.

Cambodia
Mu Sochua, former vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), called on the opposition party's supporters to adopt the symbol as a sign of solidarity with Myanmar and as a protest against the current government of Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). A representative of the CPP condemned these actions, saying that they were undermining the country.

Indonesia
In preparation for the 2024 Indonesian presidential election, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) supported presidential candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, adopted the all black attire and three-finger salute as his campaign motif and hand gesture. On 20 February 2023, a video widely shared on his Twitter account, Ganjar was seen raising his hands in the three-finger salute amidst a crowd of supporters, dressed in all black— reminiscent to pro-democracy protesters seen in Thailand and Hong Kong. The captions In the video reads, "This is not about Ganjar. It's not about power. This is about Indonesia." further stating in the post that the salute signify "Three fingers three promises: Obey God, abide by the law, and be loyal to the people." The change was seen as a significant departure from the PDI-P's Sign of the horns salute, commonly associated to President Jokowi's administration.

The thaw in relations between President Jokowi and his political party is seen as the primary reason for this change, following a controversial constitutional court ruling that allows the nomination of President Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka (aged 35), as Prabowo Subianto's running mate and given that Gibran's uncle and the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, Anwar Usman was also involved in the ruling. Observers view the abrupt choice of the three-finger salute as an act of resistance against perceived unfair democratic processes. After Ganjar's hand symbol reveal, the Ministry of Home Affairs reminded all civil servants in the Indonesian government to refrain from using any hand symbolism or poses related to presidential candidates, with the consequence of getting fired upon those who do not comply or got caught, even when the gesture was accidental. The ministry stated that the directive aims to ensure neutrality throughout the two-year process of the 2024 Indonesian general election.

Philippines
Before its adoption as a pro-democracy symbol, Philippine senator Miriam Defensor Santiago used it in a 2013 privilege speech in response to then-Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile, criticizing his personal and political conduct dating back to Ferdinand Marcos's regime, in response to his allegations about her mental health. In this context, she deviated from her prepared remarks after declaring, "His mind is sick, sick, sick...[You are] three times sick!" using the language of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

In 2017, a group of critics of President Rodrigo Duterte also used the salute to express dissent towards his administration and the killings related to the country's war on drugs.

United States
The non-profit organization Harry Potter Alliance used the three-finger salute to criticize economic and wage inequality in American companies such as Walmart and McDonald's. The move was supported by the AFL–CIO, who responded by posting pictures of union leaders posing with the symbol.

Scout sign
The Hunger Games salute bears resemblance to the earlier Scout sign, used since 1908 to represent the three parts of the Scout Promise. Though Collins does not cite it as an inspiration, researcher An Xiao Mina has noted the resemblance's significance in driving the gesture's recognition.

Ukraine


The salute is also somewhat similar to a three-fingered hand salute from Ukraine, though the latter is done with fingers spread out rather than close together. It symbolizes the Tryzub, as for example in pro-independence demonstrations in the late 1980s and in the logo of the (Ukrainian) nationalist Svoboda party.