The Fallacy of Peaceful Protests in America,” by Shakaboona.
The call for peaceful protest is being made from every corporate owned, pro-government news media in America today. Sure, everyone wants protests to occur in a peaceful manner, but at what times were there not peaceful protests being had? The protests of the Jena Six, Occupy Wall Street, anti-war movement, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Freddie Gray were all initially peaceful. The only violence that occurred during those protests were the violence perpetrated by the police forces against the peaceful protesters. So, why now the government and media’s vociferous call for peaceful protesters to be had? Have the government seen the proverbial writing on the wall that protesters are no longer going to accept police violence acts of repression of their nonviolent demonstrations and movements for social change? Is the government and media simply trying to use the call for peaceful protest as a ruling class trick to have the people render themselves defenseless in the face of police violent tactics to repress genuine grievances of racial equity and justice?
Moreover, when did the term peaceful protest replace the term nonviolent protest? Who replaced it? Why was it replaced? How was it done? What is the difference between peaceful protests and nonviolent protests, and does it even matter? Sure, it matters. The majority of people understand, either consciously or subconsciously, that in nonviolent protests, the protesters reserve their right to self defense when violently repressed by the police or military. However, the government and the media’s call for peaceful protest to be had, subliminally suggests that protesters must now be pacifists in the face of police military violence against protesters. And, that even self defense against police violence repression should not be done, as this, too, is not a peaceful act.
Ultimately, their call for peaceful protest demands that the protesters do the illogical — commit sociopolitical suicide by rendering their movements defenseless. We must question the authenticity of the government’s call for peaceful protest in the sense of: are peaceful protesters truly peaceful when the police are militarized and are using violent tactics to quell people’s political dissent and repress mass social movements? At what point do the people become critical of the government and media’s sheer hypocrisy in calling for peaceful protests to be had, while their police forces are consistently conducting, as their modus operandi, violent acts of repression; tactics of shoving, hitting, snatching and beating protesters, tear gassing, sonic gun blasting, shooting rubber bullets; corralling, mass false arresting, and declaring martial law against nonviolent protesters. At what point do we call the term “peaceful protest” for what it is in America–a fallacy? I am Kerry “Shakaboona” Marshall, cofounder and editor of The Movement magazine, Prison Radio correspondent. Thank you for listening.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
