What do the protestors think they're achieving?

[Intotheniiight]

This isn't a goady post or expressing my opinion on the actual situation but I'm watching the news and seeing all these protestors doing sit ins etc at US universities and now here and I genuinely don't understand what they think that achieves in any genuinely productive helpful way to the cause?

How does someone willingly starving themselves on the steps of columbia university help?

They are not starving , they can walk across the road to the coffee shop.

What are they achieving ?

They get to feel good about themselves , believe that they are Martyrs for skipping breakfast.

They can hang out with all their mates and have fun pissing off those authority figures they have issues with, like the university authorities, their parents, the Jewish community . Same as TRAs allow misogynistic men to shout at , abuse, threaten or even assault women and feel good about it .

But most of all they get to flaunt their luxury opinions, and sneer at working class Americans who will never see in inside of an Ivy League university and have to keep going to work every day to keep a rook over their heads.

And they don’t have to think about all the social injustices that are happening in their own country, right in front of them. The ones they could use their time, money and vote to influence.

I mean, I don't disagree with what you're saying but that's exactly my point. What good or change do they think all that actually makes?

I've just seen the protestor sit in blocking the bus of migrants for the Rwanda scheme.. 95% of which have their faces covered. If you're, so sure you're doing the right thing, why wouldn't you show your face and own it?

You wouldn't show your face and own it because our rights to protest have been whittled away by our government. Anyone expecting the police to be reasonable or proportionate in their response to protest is very naive. Look at what happened to the anti monarchy protestors at the Coronation. And the police ended up having to apologise for what they did.

What difference does covering your face make to that though? Would they not be arrested regardless if the police decided to do that?

They've identified the ones who've been arrested, and around half aren't students. Of the ones that are students, the vast majority are trust fund kids who have no idea about the real world.
I'm in the US and have seen interviews with some of them. Most have no idea what or where Palestine is. They are there for a lark.

They've also identified at least one professional agitator, and believe there are many more. They are tracing the funding, since it's obvious that someone is paying for a lot of this. Identical tents to make their tent cities is one clue that this isn't grass roots.

As to why, it's an election year, and leftist riots break out every 4 years like clockwork. It was BLM riots in 2020. The party conventions this summer should be lit. They are already arranging for lots of National Guard to police those.

They think they are making a difference.

They are deluding themselves.

Of course no right wing people rioted in 2020. Not about the election. Oh, no.

It's all there is. At least the world has woken up to the fact that there is no side of the angels on the Gaza conflict.

And we all have our hard limits. There are things I will demonstrate for and get arrested for if needs be.

What does standing/sitting somewhere thousands of miles away actually do for those affected though? It doesn't help them in any practical way... Volunteering for aid missions etc has a direct impact... Sitting on a street in Sheffield....??

Protests make a difference. Why do you think us French have been doing it since 1789?
Glad to see that these protests are happening all over the world too.

It puts pressure on the government of the country.

Does it though? I'm not being facetious, but I don't get how someone shouting outside a university in Sheffield actively helps putting pressure on a government thousands of miles away who couldn't care less what they're doing. If they want to help, hop on a plane, go to the affected areas and protest where it might actually do something?

It's important to be able to protest. It raises awareness.

It's that simple really.

You've started a thread talking about them, and in turn about the reason for the protest. So it's worked in a way.

I meant pressure on the government of the country where the protests are happening.

Youre talking about it do it raises awareness. Its worked

Historic student protests in the US along with their effectiveness:

1. Free Speech Movement (1964): Students at the University of California, Berkeley protested for the right to engage in political activities on campus. It was effective in expanding the concept of free speech on college campuses.
2. Vietnam War Protests (1960s-1970s): Students across the US protested against the Vietnam War. While the war continued, the protests played a role in shaping public opinion and eventually contributed to the US withdrawing from Vietnam.
3. Kent State Shootings (1970): Students at Kent State University protested the US invasion of Cambodia, leading to the National Guard shooting and killing four students. This event galvanized public opinion against the Vietnam War but did not immediately end it.
4. Anti-Apartheid Movement (1980s): Students protested against US investment in South Africa during apartheid. The protests led to divestment campaigns in many universities and contributed to international pressure on the South African government to end apartheid.
5. Occupy Wall Street (2011): While not exclusively a student protest, it involved many young people. It raised awareness about economic inequality but did not achieve significant policy changes.
6. Black Lives Matter Protests (2014-Present): While not exclusively student-led, many students have been involved in protests against police brutality and systemic racism. These protests have led to increased awareness and some policy changes at local levels, though systemic changes are ongoing.

The effectiveness of these protests varied, but they raised awareness, influenced public opinion, and sometimes led to policy changes.

No I know you did.... But here they just ignore them so essentially they are just sitting/standing somewhere for hours to no genuinely productive end? Labour or Conservative aren't going to think 'oh, better stop the Gaza/Israel issues/Rwanda scheme now'.

It's not worked because I'm saying it makes no sense and I don't understand it. Me talking about it also changes nothing for any of the actual people affected

Women wouldn’t have earned the right to vote without protests and the suffragettes.

Thank you for that and I appreciate your effort showing me. All those make sense to me because they are in the affected location so can instigate change. Sheffield to the middle east, not so much. When I said 'the protestors' in the title, I meant the current ones all over the news, sorry if I wasn't clear

anti-apartheid protests took place outside of South Africa and created international pressure on that government, turning it into a pariah state that eventually failed.

Most of the rights we have come from people protesting over the years. It is one of the ways societies change.

Oh and they are trying to change US government behaviour and support for Israel.

As I said, I get that when it's in the place that has the power to make the change. It's the examples above I don't understand

Validation from their friends who lol have the same 'group think' mindset