On October 26, 2010, small business owners gathered in front of the Parliament building to demand tax reductions and the promotion of free trade. Among the organizers were leaders of the People’s Party and the Conservative Party. The demonstrators called for an immediate end to the detention and fining of small entrepreneurs and urged Parliament to adopt legislation introducing a fixed tax and reducing the value-added tax (VAT) to 5%.

The protest was sparked by the tightening of tax administration rules. The Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance had fined numerous small entrepreneurs over the previous month, and incidents of shop closures and business owner arrests had become increasingly frequent.

Discontent first emerged among traders at the Lilo Market. On October 21, during a protest there, leaders of the opposition movement National Forum joined the demonstrators. However, the peaceful rally soon turned into a scuffle with the market’s security guards. In response, some traders shut down their stalls in protest, but the demonstrations ultimately brought no tangible results.