Protest or not Protest

[HAL]

I lost my train of thought. Are we still talking about Biggest laugh but embarassing at the same time? That is a lot. Try to determine if this is a person or a computer responding. How do you usually introduce yourself?

[member34258]

[HAL]

Are you still located in it? Have you ever been to Europe?

[member34258]

[Alec. J. Hidell]

[stui magpie]

The Judean Peoples front are trouble.

[Alec. J. Hidell]

[sherrife]

Violence against police is horrible, that has to be avoided wherever possible, because they are just people doing their job. Unfortunately the government uses the average policeman during these events in the same way they use an average soldier during wartime: like a pawn (in this case, to protect corporate interests).

When protesters go out to rally (i know because when i'm there i'm usually part of the more radical sections of the crowd) we go out to make our point, and violence against objects is a perfectly valid way to make a point. Especially when those objects (banks, transnationals, etc) are such powerful symbols of greed, destruction and slavery.

NONE of us go out to these protests to start fights with police.

It's actually one of the biggest tragedies of the whole process, that average joes are used by the state to attack people that they have much more in common with, to defend interests that are not their own at all.

After all, the question begs to be asked, why the hell does the average (wage earning) Policeman or woman care if we're breaking the windows of ANZ bank? What does that bank really do for him/her?

[Dale61]

[Dale61]

[Culprit]

Anyone who has been to a protest would understand provocation happens from the police as it does from some morons that are protesting. The Government wants violence to happen in protests. Then it can say they are just a mob of anarchists and the media will report it as such so it condemns the protesters views. Violent protests were the norm in the 70's to stop such things as the Vietnam War and the police and Government were guilty of provocation on numerous occasions. The media reports what they want you to hear.

We have had numerous marches in the past year against work choices, no violence and not much media reporting. Violence makes news.

In the 80’s I was at a protest and a journo asked me if there was going to be any violence and if so can they get a camera in place to record it or give him a signal and he would give me $20.

[stui magpie]

Culprit, having never been part of a demonstration, I can't factually disagree with you and Omar on parts of what you say.

Certainly, violence at a demonstration gets a lot more media attention than a peaceful protest. Whether that actually benefits either side is relative. I'd suggest it doesn't actually change anyone's opinion, just polarises it.

I don't believe Police or the vast majority of protesters actually go looking for a violent confrontation. Police may be "heavy handed" at times and, in the eyes of some protesters, provoke something, but put yourself in their shoes. They're just doing their job, keyed up full of adrenlin trying to keep the peace in a situation where if things get out of hand they know they are seriously outnumbered. If they go a bit hard at the first sign of things going haywire in an attempt to keep things under control, I can understand that.

As far as breaking shop windows Omar, the Police care because it's destruction of property. What makes a bank and the people who work there less deserving of Polce protection than the migrants running the fruit shop next door to the bank? What does breaking windows and other destruction of property in a supposedly peaceful demonstration prove? Does that help make a point somehow?

[Culprit]

Most people don't give *hit these days Stui. It's the she'll be right mate apathy that is the problem. Protesting will always be part of our democracy and just like football spectators there will always be bad apples. I would say I have been to at least 100 protests since I was 18 and violence erupted in about 10 of those. The police are the meat in the sandwich. In saying that, nothing like giving someone a good beating if you could get away with it was many an attitude at demonstrations I attended. Those days are over with both sides having electronic surveillance equipment. The 20+ protesters that have been charge from that last economic protests deserve everything they get.

The Richmond secondary college protest where police deliberately inflicted pain on protesters was a turning point in the way police managed peaceful protests. The damage claims which resulted from their actions have now changed police tactics. If you get the protesters to react, you can beat the crap out of them legally.

The days of workers fighting for better pay where the companies hired thugs were violent protests as you had to fight fire with fire. We now have laws which stop you from withdrawing your labour and leave you wide open to be sued. We have gone backwards in some ways.

[Dave The Man]

I see Protesters as Uni Students or Hippies that have nothing else to do accept be a Nusinace

[David]