WTAF - Far right protests

[Poppi89]

I have just heard on the radio that far-right protesters will be out tomorrow in response to the BLM protesters. People are being urged not to be out in support of BLM tomorrow due to the aggressive nature of the far-right group and BLM protests are being cancelled because of them.

I am outraged by this. The BLM protesters are asking for people to not be killed due to the colour of their skin. They have rightly or wrongly made a decision to put themselves at risk of COVID-19 to help spread this message - a lot of people have called them idiots etc for doing this.

The far-right protests are now also protesting in large groups (but not in response to a murder) and are 'known' for being aggressive. How is this acceptable?

I would like to hear from anyone who is planning to join/agree with these far-right protests and their reasons why?

I'm not defending people who do nazi salutes. That's a shitty thing to do.
But I m also not going to pretend that the BLM protests weren't infiltrated by the far left trying to make things kick off. I don't consider protests to be peaceful when police officers are getting injured and people are throwing things at horses and setting the flag on fire or defacing the cenotaph. That's also shitty behaviour.

Everyone need to go home until CV is over - the govt should never have allowed demonstrations during a pandemic.

The only true threat to democracy and freedom is the myth of “equality of opinion,” the idea that all statements are simply opinion, that facts do not exist, and that all opinions are equally valid and deserve equal airspace.

Being anti-Nazi and pro-Nazi are both just opinions and deserve equal time, or it’s censorship and hypocritical. Antivaxx and Holocaust denial are just opinions. Men can become women, 5G causes COVID, censorship of Nazi rallies is an attack on free speech, and the moon is made of cheese.

No, I won’t stand for it. Facts exist. Some opinions are more valid that others. I won’t be told that men can become women and that Nazis deserve the same rights to protest as anti-racism campaigners. I will not allow facts to be eroded by a culture where Every Opinion Is Valid and any wrongthink (like believing that racism is wrong or that men can’t become women) is punished and castigated as censorship.

Two things can be simultaneously true. Legitimate BLM protests were derailed by thugs determined to kick a hornet’s nest. Legitimate protests against the vandalism of memorials including the Cenotaph have been derailed by thugs determined to kick another hornet’s nest.

Absolutely.

This thread says everything about how ingrained racism is on this forum.

Quite a leap you’ve made there. In fact you’ve lied and manipulated words to suit your own agenda.

It’s these kind of actions that ruin progress. You are sabotaging the legitimate cause by spoiling for a fight.

The way to end racism isn’t fascism. Don’t police others thoughts or tell them how to think or say or rewrite history. It’s deplorable.

'And the other group are ACTUAL LITERAL NAZIS.'

All the veterans are 'actual literal Nazis'?! If you believe that only a minority last week caused trouble then the same should be said of this week.

Many people are furious that war monuments were defaced and Churchill's statue has had to be boxed in. Can't you see why some are angry?

ACTUAL LITERAL NAZIS

Ffs.

@getoffyourhighhorse this is organised violence, been happening for years, pubs have to close, whole streets sectioned off this isn't civil disobedience at a march it's premeditated by certain groups , as always
. The veterans have moved on now

I believe everyone has the right to protest and have a public demonstration for their beliefs but my sympathy wanes when they start performing nazi salutes - not sure that’s an ideal tribute to Churchill?

Anger from veterans is one thing. I understand not agreeing with removal of churchill's statue because every leader had good and bad and think comparing him to Hitler is idiotic. I also disagree with the removal of certain tv shows and episodes

BLM protests had some violence but the remember the object thrown at police officer and horse is so known, is because it was a relatively isolated incident. The far right racists have attacked police, thrown all manner of things at them.

Anyone old enough to have fought in ww2 is likely pushing 90 now. Let's not pretend that the protesters are all elderly gents who fought for this country, and are saddened by the state of affairs. Most of them in the protests are young to middle age yobs who's only experience of a war has been via computer games. They're drinking beer, chanting racist things such as 'Tommy Robinson ' and are basically another Britain First gang of thugs. The violence, the alcohol, the whole debacle has made me thoroughly ashamed and horrified.

So let's get it right. These twats arent brave 90 year olds who fought at dunkirk and are saddened. They're racist, predominantly young, white, predominantly men who are bored of lockdown and quite fancy an afternoon of getting pissed and battering the police and are delighted to be able to do so under the guise of 'protest', because they're sad little men with sad little lives and barely a brain cell between them.

I've said it a few times. My degree and research specialism is post genocide and racial tension reconciliation and reparation.

BLM and the protests in the UK, with the present context, bear little to no resemblance to any effective strategy of community reconciliation. That they would trigger knee jerk "fixes" like taking down TV shows and statues was inevitable, as was the reaction of both the right wing AND moderates who are reasonably able to see a situation differently to both sides (though will get called racist by one side, which is hardly endearing).

I understand why the protests are happening - they're a response of pain and anger at a problem thrown into sharp relief. They just won't achieve anything substantial, unless they're magically different from any from any other protest in history.

Humans are very good at reshuffling problems so that the suffering becomes less visible. Not so great at solving them.

(I can't wait to be told I'm racist for disagreeing with the protests after spending seven years of my life focusing on race research by someone who has read a few articles in the Guardian)

That said, how odd that the police are in riot gear already and defending the cenotaph this week, when last week they took a much more passive stance initially and let people do what they like.

It's almost like the police have experience in when to expect violence depending on who's protesting 🤔

'my sympathy wanes when they start performing nazi salutes - not sure that’s an ideal tribute to Churchill?'

But last week it was only a minority throwing missiles at police and horses so by that rationale surely you can say the same for today? Of course nazi salutes aren't ok, neither is throwing a flare at a horse. HTH.

It should have all been handled differently from the start. BLM protest should have gone ahead without the vandalism.

The lack of social distancing this week and last week during a pandemic is just flat out wrong.

Standard behaviour at a lot of football matches, where I used to live the streets around the stadium had to be closed down because of the firms. Pathetic as that is, it's good they have the correct equipment to protect themselves this week. Many didn't, hence the running away.

(I can't wait to be told I'm racist for disagreeing with the protests after spending seven years of my life focusing on race research by someone who has read a few articles in the Guardian)

Appeal to authority, anecdote and anecdata mean nothing tbh

seven years of my life focusing on race research

so because you've studied race relations you think it gives you some sort of experience on how it is to live as a POC under systematic racist institutions? Riiiiighhtttt
Only time will tell how effective these protests will be.

Rosa Parks was only one woman

All those on this thread who think the far right are on par with the protestors last week? Google parliament square and question your morals.

I believe everyone has the right to protest and have a public demonstration for their beliefs but my sympathy wanes when they start performing nazi salutes - not sure that’s an ideal tribute to Churchill?

So do I but my sympathy wanes when a bike is thrown at a police horse and a policewoman ends up in hospital with a collapsed lung and a broken jaw. That's not good for the cause either.

Likely outcome now is that it all goes to s**t and nothing changes for the better.

Yes was just thinking that...it's not behaviour unused to seeing ...even the chants about liking being racist, throwing stuff at Police and horses. Sad that their behaviour has been normalised

'The lack of social distancing this week and last week during a pandemic is just flat out wrong'

Yes, protests shouldnt have been allowed to go ahead in a pandemic.

' are bored of lockdown and quite fancy an afternoon of getting pissed and battering the police and are delighted to be able to do so under the guise of 'protest'

While you are referring to this week the very same could be said of last week tbh.

so because you've studied race relations you think it gives you some sort of experience on how it is to live as a POC under systematic racist institutions?

That isn’t what she said. And how do you know what colour she is?

(I can't wait to be told I'm racist for disagreeing with the protests after spending seven years of my life focusing on race research by someone who has read a few articles in the Guardian)
Oh, do give over, thecats. I was nodding in agreement until you made that stupid comment.

I'd imagine having studied something for 7 years, does give a person some insight

@StormzyinaTCup I didn’t say that wasn’t also bad?

Danny Wallace 🇪🇺
✔
@dannywallace
I don't understand.

• Police are protecting a statue from people who want to protect it from people who don't seem to be there.
• Meanwhile the man who stopped us all from having to salute like a Nazi is celebrated by men doing Nazi salutes.

I mean, it's very 2020, but still.

19.9K
12:54 PM - Jun 13, 2020

@GetOffYourHighHorse please point out the bit in my post where I said I agreed with the violence from the last protests?