What did you think about the pic of Patriot Front group on a train in Washington?

[EmailsaysOOO]

Have you seen the ( viral) picture of the group Patriot Front with the lone black woman on a train in Washington? What was your reaction?

I'm not American and not particularly up on Politics and current events so bound not to be aware of the whole context . But the picture was arresting.wasn't it? On social media I see so many people saying it was a peaceful event, the woman was unharmed and in fact in other situations white people have come out worse so what's the big deal. But they are extremists, aren't they? With aims to have an ethnically white state, if that's the correct phrasing. How did you feel when you saw it?

ETA- this was within the 4th July celebrations so a few days ago

In case a link is useful

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/black-woman-train-photo-patriot-front-name-family-b3011487.html

She might have been physically unharmed but she apparently is a vulnerable woman with mental health difficulties and it could have caused all kinds of psychological damage. And just making people afraid when going about their normal day is also a harm. That’s what these groups want to achieve as well, to intimidate and essentially terrorise other people even if they don’t actively physically attack them.

I’ve seen this story several times, and been very glad I don’t live there. That must have been massively intimidating for her- I don’t know that I’d have got on/might have stood to leave and catch a different one. Though she wouldn’t have wanted to draw attention to herself.

It makes me reflect on life in the UK. I think we are quick to condemn our society for any hint of failure, but are actually better than we think.

Though someone will pop up to say, that’s the path we’re headed down.

And honestly if I were there (white middle aged woman) I’d also have been intimidated, amd been afraid something would kick off. I’m astonished that get up isn’t a public order offence.

I’m moving towards thinking we should strongly discourage covered faces- a lot of badly behaved lads in my area are committing crimes while masked rather like this. It’s an issue.

I saw that chilling picture and it chimed with so much historic American civil rights imagery - from Rosa Parks on the bus to images of enslaved people surrounded by captors. And the fact she is a woman too, and that they are all masked. There is such a line to be drawn and not in a progressive way.

I’ve been thinking of her a lot since and I hope she is safe and ok.

About 10 yrs ago I was catching the train to London. Totally inadvertently I got to my local the train station at the same time as a huge number of EDL marchers. It was very well policed outside the station - riot vans, horses, dogs etc. and there were some police on every train.
On the platform I was surrounded by loads of these thugs, with their flags and their signs, and some of them with hidden faces. Obviously it was the UK so I didn’t feel like there was any chance any of them had guns. On the platform with me was a woman in a hijab. You could have taken a very very similar picture to the one above of her surrounded by all these “England for the English” “no more mosques” signs. It was not a pleasant environment, and that photo reminded me of it straight away.

It’s horrific. I’m American (well, dual national but I grew up there, not far outside Washington DC). The thing is that there have always been racists and white nationalists. What’s different is how emboldened they have become. They know now that their beliefs are safe within this current administration and they no longer have to hide in the shadows. All the closet racists have come out to play. It’s not dissimilar to here in some ways (the average white British person feels perhaps more comfortable being racist and xenophobic in a way they might not have 5, 10 years ago), but it’s bigger and on steroids there. It’s a very frightening place to live and I have friends who are very worried about their safety day to day.

Thanks everyone, yes it must have been awful for her..I can't understand why anyone could state that she'd have been fine.

I.know that in COVID times, a lot of Americans believed mask wearing was some kind of conspiracy and they are now saying , -well if masks were ok then, why not now ? But these masks are worn to avoid people identifying them, I'm sure of it. and what does that say ? If you have to be unidentifiable it kind of suggests you're not wanted . So weird.

This isn’t like face coverings. This is hat, glasses and bandana.
Eye colour, hair colour, complexion, ear shape (can be identifying), marks like freckles… this is deliberate disguise.

I am beginning to support an expectation of facial exposure. Certainly in specific places, or in groups for example.

They are clearly dressed for trouble.

I can't even begin to think how the woman might have felt.
So disturbing that we are witnessing the rise of something so terrible.