Interesting thread, appreciate it. One area that I am not sure is addressed is that at least in certain parts of America we do have 'black bloc' wannabes that will co-opt these demonstrations with their own extreme goals and methods. Protecting against that takes a lot more than 'social conformity.'
Comments
The narrative in your head that police-approved “well behaved” marches are a vehicle for change is an ahistorical fairytale…
You’re mad at the wrong people.
Among the far Antipodes.
He may exist on nuts and berries,
Or then again, on missionaries;
His distant habitat precludes
Conclusive knowledge of his moods,
But I would not engage the wombat
In any form of mortal combat.
-- Ogden Nash
Discipline in protest works. It contains the violent antisocial minority, whether they are in the uniform of 'cooler than you anarchist' or your local police!
How can you tell the difference? I mean, if one dresses in bloc, they are bloc. Except when they’re not?
The sure fire way to keep police at bay and not bagging people up is them looking over a large crowd and seeing that they are ready for a fight. Cops prefer to create a dangerous situation they can control, not go into one with hundreds of angry people
but really, how did you arrive at this conclusion? It has no connection to anything being discussed. Was it to win internet points?
protest peace police are included in acab
history proves you wrong, and in time it will again.
Black bloc can be used in very helpful ways, not everyone dressed that way is into property destruction.
It's unpopular on Bluesky, but thank you for noticing the issue.
Everyone should protest in their own way
Everyone should take the risks they feel ok to take
Many of us think protests are for more than that.
You are are entitled to your opinion as are we.
There is no ‘right or wrong’ way to protest
That’s not how it works in the real world
You realize that that has NEVER changed anything, right?
Like LinkedIn or something like that
Maybe do some knitting together later 🙃
In the 80s-90s environmental actions on the West Coast were sabotaged 1/x
Take anyone saying yesterday or future actions did nothing with a grain of salt. Some may be sincere, but it's an age old manipulation. 4/4
In the mid-2000s to 2010s I would stay until they came, hand off medical supplies to them, & then leave, because the police are aggressive when they show. The cops' response is the reason to leave
https://abcnews-go-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/man-helped-ignite-george-floyd-riots-identified-white/story?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&id=72051536&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17439619948685&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FUS%2Fman-helped-ignite-george-floyd-riots-identified-white%2Fstory%3Fid%3D72051536
Read some history. They people who break windows at protests are not on our side.
Just a thought. Something I’d like to see evolve, something I hope to see 🤷♀️
But the "black bloc" look is special --- including masks to hide identity, no identifying marks, and hanging in groups so that the cops can't tell who exactly committed violence.
If you do not want to learn, I can't help you.
Hours later I saw the same group hurling bricks (I know, right?) at the bearcats. Woulda got their lic# but car was gone before me.
💯Fuk'n chaos agents.🤬
Anyone can "protest".
Being "effective" in protesting is harder.
It requires accepting the risk of nonviolence.
Here, yesterday, thousands of us united on this.
Join us!
Any person who breaks windows at protests are not on our side.
They may not be cops (not ACAB after all) but they are not helping win the ideological battle.
Why do you ask?
What do you recommend?
If you present to fascists as a non-threat, then they have absolutely no reason to relinquish their power
There should be an underlying "or else" to the chants of the protesters, one that's real
Peaceful protests like yesterday's "Hands Off!" rallies are always at risk of being ruined by black clad "anarchists". That's what "black bloc" means around here.
But if you're talking about racial resentment boiling over, that is different.
When you have "hands off!" rallies with no black blocs to protect them, then police violence goes out of control and the protests are no longer peaceful.
Black bloc keeps the police from ruining the peace. Keeping the protest peaceful.
The guys I witnessed (see: Umbrella Man) get non-violent Black & Brown folks beaten, gassed, and/or killed by thirsty law enforcement. Same goes for those 2A assholes.
Privilegey fucks for sure.✌🏻
https://bsky.app/profile/brewtowne.bsky.social/post/3lm63ohrrnk2x
What I saw with my own eyes is false.
Good to know, tankie!
they meet at the end of the horseshoe
Protest is merely expressing disdain publicly. It’s efficacy is that is can be a stepping stone to impactful political action, but it is not itself impactful.
Black bloc is there, in part, to demonstrate what is ultimately required (for impact) and possible
please prove me wrong and name a time in all of history that fascism was defeated through peaceful means?
Militancy. Insurrection. Force.
There has yet to be any instance in all of human history (never mind just our society) where success (re: aforementioned systemic improvements) did not include violent revolt and/or a militant movement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Way
The decline of the USSR was violent and that can’t be coherently/honestly separated
The violence of the people against the state is implicit, or reactive. There was no violent insurgency happening in parallel in the baltics. There was no black bloc "demonstrating what was ultimately required" in hungary. There were strikes and protests