"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

FLASH - NORTH KOREA: RARE OUTBURST OF PUBLIC CIVIL UNREST

BBC: North Korean soldiers and riot police had to step in after violence erupted when the home side lost a World Cup qualifying match to Iran, say reports. Bottles, stones and chairs were thrown on to the pitch in Pyongyang after a North Korean player was sent off. Violence then spilled over outside the stadium and thousands of angry fans reportedly prevented Iranian players from boarding the team bus. ... A North Korean defector and former football official told Reuters that his homeland had an organised society and such behaviour was unlikely to be tolerated. "I have never seen anything like this myself," he said. "The people responsible are likely to be tracked down and severely punished."

This is a sign of the breakdown of the state's machinery of fear and terror, and it's a good omen.

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