No one is saying demonstrations such as this one should be squelched. They are a legal and valid form of vocalizing against unjust decisions made locally and internationally, as well as a way to express solidarity with a cause. It is a citizen's fundamental right in a democratic society to be able to express one's beliefs, grievances, and outrage in a vocal and public, yet peaceful, way.
This annual march is going on 13 years now and every single year –without exception- has seen violence and property damage ensue. I, for one, am getting a little sick of it.
Those yelling from the rooftops that their individual rights to protest have been trampled on, have, unfortunately, missed the mark on this one. In their earnest and misguided attempt to defend human rights and take the side of the underdog, it's important to remember everyone's rights; not just the protesters.
If taking part in a protest is your legal right, one which no one is preventing you from taking part in, than why insist on concealing Molotov cocktails or donning the attire one normally wears while robbing a bank? Why the masks and the head scarves? Why the need to hurl bricks through storefront windows?
The reasons are simple: in too many cases, public protests are completely hijacked by roving bands of angry pseudo-anarchists, intent on simply wreaking havoc and destroying public and private property for the sick pleasure of being able to get away with it.
Is it a protester’s democratic right to protest? Absolutely! But it’s also our democratic right, as a society, to squelch violence and destruction to public and private property and ensure that those perpetuating these acts are promptly arrested.
What’s unfortunate about this annual march is that, by allowing it to be hijacked by a few hooligans every year, it takes away the focus from what may possibly be a very real problem. But the public will never get to know how pervasive the problem is, and the real protesters – with something very real to say- will never get their chance to be heard, because all we see splattered on the front pages are sensationalized caricatures of an event that could have mattered.
Yes, people should be allowed to protest and flood the streets with their anger or allegiance to a cause, but organizers of such marches should take it upon themselves to ensure their valuable message doesn’t get lost in a petty power struggle between law enforcement and rebels without a cause.
Instead, every year, they undertake an event which includes a number of people who do everything they can to prove the allegations of police brutality true. It’s time for some accountability; and that’s just as vital a part of democracy as freedom of speech is.
Rebels without a cause hijack another protest
Rebels without a cause hijack another protest
Montreal residents are a passionate and vocal bunch and a number of contentious issues have –and will continue- to bring them out in protest. The March Against Police Brutality is an annual demonstration that puts the spotlight on a very contentious issue – one that deserves to be highlighted. It’s also a protest that has an extended track record of unprovoked violence.
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Comments
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- anonymous 106
- - March 26th, 2010 at 15:28:02
Why the masks? It's simple actually; the police record the faces of anyone they wish to record during a protest. My friend was involved in a peaceful protest some years ago. She did not hurt anyone or throw sticks/stones at anyone. But she was filmed at close range by police officers with a portable camera because there was non-violent civil disobedience taking place (no damage to property). That should unnerve anyone who believes we live in a democracy. Another friend of mine had her phone tapped for being involved in a different protest group that was non-violent in nature as well. She found this out because she was lucky enough to have a lawyer mother who obtained documents through the government indicating the precise dates here phone was tapped. On destruction of property, I would not condone that kind of action but it should be known that many groups have claimed they use "violence" against property as a form of retribution against violence on many marginalized, dispossessed, or exploited workers in countries where many familiar large corporations operate without adequate worker protections. Of course at the end of the day, all the masses see are pictures of youth breaking things. But it should be said that the press plays a part in this mess. They are more interested in covering the violence than the subject matter at protests. They help give the violent protesters that extra reason to break things, and spray paint messages. Have you ever noticed that they don't attack or throw bottles at the press? There's a mutual gratification there your article glances over and needs to address as well. It was really bizarre to see an army of cameras follow a black-clad youth (for the perfect shot) as he broke a window during a downtown Vancouver protest during the Olympics.It's disgusting and points to a very important role the media plays in helping to exacerbate violence at protests.
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- frank nowarcyck
- - March 22nd, 2010 at 11:34:14
why are they pseudo-anarchists?
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