Sewol Ferry protest gone horribly wrong

April 16, 2015 marked the one year anniversary since the tragic Sewol Ferry incident and tens of thousands of people gathered to pay tribute to the victims in front of Gwanghwamoon, Seoul. However, this was marred by protestors and a heavy clash with the police.

On this day, at least 100 protestors were arrested, 16 of them family members of the victims, after a brutal clash between the demonstrators and the police. According to the reports, around 13,000 police and 470 police buses were deployed to contain the protestors around the memorial altar.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency were seen using water cannons and pepper spray against the marchers, stationing police buses to barricade the entrance of the memorial altar and to disperse the demonstration that continued to grow in size as the hours passed.�

Families who were on their way to meet their sons and daughters who rested at the memorial site were also greeted by a barricade�of policemen who were given orders to prevent anyone from entering. Those who protested were forcefully hauled away from the scene.�

Since the incident last year, tensions have been running high between the South Korean government and the families of the victims.

Family members of the victims expressed outrage that the South Korean government failed to raise the ferry, conduct a full investigation into the incident, or�recover�all�the bodies.�

One imgur netizen posted a detailed post on the issue and explained that the reason for the blockade was the protest was deemed illegal under South Korean law. The post read, "It is free to protest, but you are not allowed to protest at major roads designated by the government...The government has been isolating people who are protesting using police buses for years. It may prevent any property damage, but it also defeats the purpose of a protest; to show other people and the government what they demand. [sic]"�

However, the post went on to say that the police police started to block pedestrian roads and people were�forced�into walking through the road in order to get out, which turned them into 'illegal protesters.'

Shortly after the protesting,�South Korea formally announced that they would raise the ferry. It is estimated to cost anywhere from $92 to $138 million and will take 12-18 months. You can read more about the government's proposal to raise the ferry here.

Below is a compilation of footage taken from the protest.