`Three-finger salute` adopted by Thai protesters

A three-finger salute is one of the most memorable scenes in the Hollywood film series "Hunger Games," which debuted in 2012. In the movie series, the gesture, in which the index, middle and ring fingers are stretched straight, is used as a symbol of rebellion and revolution against the dictatorship, as well as the condolences and respect for the beloved.

Protestors in Thailand have adopted the three-finger salute featured in the film. The Washington Post and some other Western media reported Tuesday that the Thai protestors are raising the three fingers in their defiance against the military coup.

According to the reports, some 100 protestors in Bangkok raised the three fingers as in the movies in downtown Bangkok last Saturday. The gesture, which was used in the same meaning as in the films, has rapidly spread on social media. Thai protestors against the coup give various interpretations of the gesture, saying that it symbolizes the ideology of the French Revolution – liberty, equality and fraternity—or means the values of elections, democracy and liberty.

An official at the Thai military junta said that those who continue to make the gesture at rallies involving five or more people could be arrested.