The one question bystanders often ask of disruptive left-wing protests is: “Why?”
Who is persuaded by vandalism and traffic interruptions? How does insulting, inconveniencing, and even endangering passersby further the cause of the demonstrators?
These are the wrong questions to ask, as they assume the protesters are in the business of changing hearts and minds.
The point isn’t persuasion. It’s intimidation — to wrest submission through displays of brute force. The beatings will continue until morale improves!
Once you understand the protests in this light, that the ugliness is the point, they make much more sense. And if you believe it, left-wingers aren’t the only ones who see disruption as the key to victory.
From Los Angeles to Amsterdam, a growing number of political demonstrators have embraced strategies seemingly designed to turn public opinion against them. Pick up any newspaper on any random day of the week, and you’ll likely see another headline about how pro-Palestinian militants, ecoactivists, anti-fossil fuel crusaders, etc., have blocked a major highway, entrapping everyday civilians, hounded a political opponent from the public square, or vandalized a treasured work of art.
“Hwy 101 Reopens in SF After Being Closed Due to Protestors Rallying for Cease-Fire,” a San Francisco-based ABC News affiliate reported in October.
“Here to Demand Ceasefire: Protesters Stage Sit-In on Durham Freeway During Thursday Rush Hour,” another headline read in November.
December saw a flurry of activity. From Reuters: “Climate Activists Block Amsterdam Highway in Protest Against ING.” From the Associated Press: “Gaza Cease-Fire Protests Block New York City Bridges, and Over 300 are Arrested.” And from the New York Times: “Pro-Palestinian Protests Block Traffic at New York and LA Airports.”
Before these most recent road-closure protests, ecoactivists had already taken up a similarly destructive strategy: trashing works of art in the name of “climate justice.”
In April, climate vandals in Washington smeared black and red paint all over the display case surrounding Edgar Degas’s sculpture Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Later, in July, activists defaced a portrait of King Charles at an Edinburgh gallery. In November, green activists shattered the protective glass covering Diego Velazquez’s oil painting, The Rokeby Venus. And these are three brief examples from just last year. There’s much more where this comes from.
Like the roadblockers, the art vandals claim the ends justify the means. Their behavior is righteous, they say, because it draws attention to a noble cause. But this is a bit like a hostage-taker justifying his actions with the reasoning that his victims draw attention to his demands.
And it’s that word “demand” that is really at the heart of so many recent demonstrations. The activists claim they are merely trying to raise awareness, but these incidents go well beyond mere public service announcements. They are none-too-subtle acts of intimidation, backed by force of action. Stop now, or I’ll do it again!
You ask, “Who are these protests meant to win over?” Indeed, what does trapping a person in LAX traffic do for the cause of the Palestinians? Who is persuaded by a vandalized art exhibit?
That’s the thing, though. It’s not about persuasion. It’s about force. The family trapped on a bridge in New York City isn’t the intended target of these protests. Just a necessary victim. City, state, and federal leaders are the intended audience. Create enough chaos, sow enough discord, cause enough fear and anxiety, and upset basic commerce, and the people who are supposed to keep things running smoothly will cave.
And if you find these recent incidents unnerving, consider that left-wingers are hardly alone in embracing the victory-through-disruption strategy. Consider the following headlines:
“German Farmers Block Roads with Tractors and Stage Protests Against Plan to Scrap Diesel Tax Breaks,” the Associated Press reports.
Earlier, from the New York Times: “Hong Kong Residents Block Roads to Protest Extradition Bill.”
“Truckers Blocking the Canada-U.S. Border Could Seriously Impact Supply Chain,” reported NPR.
The larger, more troubling problem here is that everyone, from eco-weirdos to German farmers, seems to have internalized the idea that displays of brute strength will win the day. Few, if any, have any interest in the art of persuasion or rhetoric. The problem here is that everyone — left, center, and right — appears to believe in the notion that “might makes right.”
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I want something, and I’m going to cause harm until you give me what I want.
But if that’s the way we’re going to play it, with each side believing that the loudest and most disruptive voice wins, well, there are only a few ways that this plays out — and a few, if any, of the scenarios end well.
Becket Adams is a columnist for the Washington Examiner, National Review, and the Hill. He is also the program director of the National Journalism Center.