The Unit of Caring

During the debate Rob presented, like, endless slideshow slides supporting the claim that disruptive protest is counterproductive and nondisruptive protest does absolutely nothing at all. Eventually Wayne asked him “okay, so what should a social movement do” and Rob was like “…nondisruptive protests that somehow get their enemies to be violent at them. That is the only thing I think the evidence backs.”

I am worried many right-wing provocateurs has figured this out and are acting on it (specifically by being horrible until some protest against them devolves into violence, whereupon they can soak up the attention and sympathy and their cause benefits.)

One thing I do really respect about DxE is that they seem to work extremely hard to make sure their events never get violent; they have specific trainings in advance of the protest on how to deescalate and avoid that, and I have never heard about an incident at one of their protests. One thing we debated afterwards was whether it’s ethical to attend a protest where everyone hasn’t had such training and where you expect you’ll end up being used as cover by violent people. I do think it’s ethical to attend, but I think the minute you start being used for cover by violent people you ought to get everybody else who isn’t trying to assault anyone to immediately disperse.

• 24 May 2017
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