Re: [Marxism] How Violence Undermined the Berkeley Protest On Campus
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * thanks for posting this, Lou. It is all well said comradely Gary On Sat, Feb 4, 2017 at 8:06 AM, Louis Proyect via Marxism < marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > POSTING RULES & NOTES > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. > #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. > * > > > Then I saw someone wearing all black walk up to a student wearing a suit > and say, “You look like a Nazi.” The student was confused, but before he > could reply, the black-clad person pepper-sprayed him and hit him on the > back with a rod. > > I ran after the student who was attacked to get his name and more > information. He told me that he is a Syrian Muslim. Before I could find out > more, he fled, fearing another attack. Amid the chaos came word the event > had been canceled. > > > > NY Times Op-Ed, Feb. 3 2017 > How Violence Undermined the Berkeley Protest On Campus > Malini Ramaiyer > > BERKELEY, Calif. — What do you do as a reporter when a protest begins? You > cover it. > > But what about when the man being protested is known for rhetoric that > makes you nauseated? Or when you see a student get beaten up because he > looked “like a Nazi”? > > How do you remain objective? > > Those were the questions that faced me when, as a reporter for the student > newspaper at the University of California, Berkeley, I covered the protest > on Wednesday night at the college that turned violent, drawing national > attention. I didn’t know what to think about it all, and truthfully, I > still don’t. > > The protesters were demonstrating against a scheduled speech on campus by > Milo Yiannopoulos, a Breitbart editor and right-wing provocateur, who had > been invited by the Berkeley College Republicans. > > This was always going to be a controversial event. Mr. Yiannopoulos has > been giving inflammatory speeches on a college tour meant to push back > against what he sees as the stifling politically correct left. But his > language has veered decidedly toward hate speech. At the University of > Wisconsin-Milwaukee, for example, he singled out a transgender student for > ridicule by name. > > Because of actions like that, many Berkeley students and more than 100 > faculty members petitioned the university to block the event, but the > chancellor, Nicholas Dirks, declined to do so, citing free speech. > > This, of course, raises questions about free speech: Is it free speech if > it makes us feel unsafe in our own skin? On the other hand, what does this > campus represent if it doesn’t respect the rights of people with whom many > of us disagree? > > Protests are a staple at Berkeley and I’ve always appreciated the activism > here. Wednesday night, I saw many creative posters urging people to fight > Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism and racism. One > group of protesters wore red ribbons emblazoned “Resist,” while another led > a “resistance dance party” near the venue. > > Until Wednesday, I never felt in danger during a protest. Around 7 p.m. I > saw a huddle of people yelling at one another. As more people surrounded > them, a burning red trucker’s hat was held up on a stick. There were > reports that another student wearing what appeared to be a “Make America > Great Again” hat was severely injured. > > Then I saw someone wearing all black walk up to a student wearing a suit > and say, “You look like a Nazi.” The student was confused, but before he > could reply, the black-clad person pepper-sprayed him and hit him on the > back with a rod. > > I ran after the student who was attacked to get his name and more > information. He told me that he is a Syrian Muslim. Before I could find out > more, he fled, fearing another attack. Amid the chaos came word the event > had been canceled. > > It was clear early on that the majority of violent protesters most likely > were not from the campus. Still, in the aftermath, I heard people say that > peaceful demonstrations would not have succeeded in preventing Mr. > Yiannopoulos from speaking. So was violence appropriate? > > A Trump supporter was hurt. A Syrian Muslim student was hurt. Does either > of those statements seem more outrageous than the other? > > Violence often has unintended consequences. For one thing, those who > initiated the violence implicated many others in it too. Black students, > Latino students, gay students and others who are already vulnerable — and > were protesting peacefully — became even more vulnerable to the
[Marxism] How Violence Undermined the Berkeley Protest On Campus
POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. * Then I saw someone wearing all black walk up to a student wearing a suit and say, “You look like a Nazi.” The student was confused, but before he could reply, the black-clad person pepper-sprayed him and hit him on the back with a rod. I ran after the student who was attacked to get his name and more information. He told me that he is a Syrian Muslim. Before I could find out more, he fled, fearing another attack. Amid the chaos came word the event had been canceled. NY Times Op-Ed, Feb. 3 2017 How Violence Undermined the Berkeley Protest On Campus Malini Ramaiyer BERKELEY, Calif. — What do you do as a reporter when a protest begins? You cover it. But what about when the man being protested is known for rhetoric that makes you nauseated? Or when you see a student get beaten up because he looked “like a Nazi”? How do you remain objective? Those were the questions that faced me when, as a reporter for the student newspaper at the University of California, Berkeley, I covered the protest on Wednesday night at the college that turned violent, drawing national attention. I didn’t know what to think about it all, and truthfully, I still don’t. The protesters were demonstrating against a scheduled speech on campus by Milo Yiannopoulos, a Breitbart editor and right-wing provocateur, who had been invited by the Berkeley College Republicans. This was always going to be a controversial event. Mr. Yiannopoulos has been giving inflammatory speeches on a college tour meant to push back against what he sees as the stifling politically correct left. But his language has veered decidedly toward hate speech. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, for example, he singled out a transgender student for ridicule by name. Because of actions like that, many Berkeley students and more than 100 faculty members petitioned the university to block the event, but the chancellor, Nicholas Dirks, declined to do so, citing free speech. This, of course, raises questions about free speech: Is it free speech if it makes us feel unsafe in our own skin? On the other hand, what does this campus represent if it doesn’t respect the rights of people with whom many of us disagree? Protests are a staple at Berkeley and I’ve always appreciated the activism here. Wednesday night, I saw many creative posters urging people to fight Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism and racism. One group of protesters wore red ribbons emblazoned “Resist,” while another led a “resistance dance party” near the venue. Until Wednesday, I never felt in danger during a protest. Around 7 p.m. I saw a huddle of people yelling at one another. As more people surrounded them, a burning red trucker’s hat was held up on a stick. There were reports that another student wearing what appeared to be a “Make America Great Again” hat was severely injured. Then I saw someone wearing all black walk up to a student wearing a suit and say, “You look like a Nazi.” The student was confused, but before he could reply, the black-clad person pepper-sprayed him and hit him on the back with a rod. I ran after the student who was attacked to get his name and more information. He told me that he is a Syrian Muslim. Before I could find out more, he fled, fearing another attack. Amid the chaos came word the event had been canceled. It was clear early on that the majority of violent protesters most likely were not from the campus. Still, in the aftermath, I heard people say that peaceful demonstrations would not have succeeded in preventing Mr. Yiannopoulos from speaking. So was violence appropriate? A Trump supporter was hurt. A Syrian Muslim student was hurt. Does either of those statements seem more outrageous than the other? Violence often has unintended consequences. For one thing, those who initiated the violence implicated many others in it too. Black students, Latino students, gay students and others who are already vulnerable — and were protesting peacefully — became even more vulnerable to the backlash. When the violent protesters thought they were defeating “fascists,” could they imagine who else they might be hurting? When my co-reporter was threatened as she recorded students marching down the street, and I was threatened when I took pictures of the vandalism, I myself became afraid and upset. There are so many people in this country who have been fighting social injustices for years. Acts of violence undermine their efforts, and can reverse good, patient work. The beauty and the defining characteristic of peaceful protests is that they are a struggle, and
