A group calling itself the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense showed up at a protest this week carrying weapons.
  • luciferofastora@feddit.org
    97·
    7 days ago

    Remember: Peaceful protests are like barking - annoying, but by itself harmless. It’s the fear of the bite that makes the barking scary.

    You don’t have to jump straight to violence, and I believe that it’s more effective to start with non-violent demands. Once you escalate, there’s nowhere left to go. But the threat of it is what makes the peaceful option less destructive.

    As the saying goes: Nothing will meaningfully change until the rich fear for their lives.

    • EldritchFemininity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      13·
      6 days ago

      Unions are the peaceful alternative for negotiations that workers and their bosses agreed upon instead of dragging them out of the factory into the street and beating them to death.

      More people need to remember this history.

      Even MLK credited the success of his work during the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Panthers being willing to do what he could not, and the Million Man March on Washington - seen today as an example of successful peaceful protest - was a threat to every white American in a seat of power. If he could mobilize a million people to shut down the capital of the federal government peacefully, imagine what else they could do.

      • teslekova@sh.itjust.works
        3·
        6 days ago

        This is the key point that many do not get. There must be the threat of violence AND the non-violent union/organised resistance option to defeat authoritarian governments. One or the other on its own will not work.

        • EldritchFemininity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          2·
          6 days ago

          Unfortunately for the US, the rich have spent the decades since the Civil Rights Movement convincing the general populace that their rights were won by holding a snarky sign on a street corner and not by burning down entire city districts after the murder of MLK by the government (which his family proved in court, by the way. Unfortunately, no criminal court would hear the case so it was only in a civil court, but the judge was convinced well enough to find the government guilty).

          Years of protesting and nothing solid was accomplished. Within a week of billions of dollars in damage to property and big business, the Civil Rights laws were drafted, voted on, and signed into law.

    • SippyCup@lemmy.ml
      16·
      7 days ago

      The only way to tell if your protests are working is if the state is restoring to violence to stop you from continuing to demonstrate.

      The only way protests are ultimately effective is for the beleaguered group to be easier to negotiate with then it is to further supress them with violence.

      The powerful give no ground willingly. It must be taken from them.

  • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.caEnglish
    66·
    7 days ago

    good for them

    when somebody on the right says “this is just asking for trouble”, tell them that Kyle Rittenhouse went there to defend businesses (not even people) and they approved of his actions, and so they can shut the fuck up

      • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.caEnglish
        4·
        7 days ago

        in practice, yes this is what I actually say. fuck 'em, there’s no discussion to be had with them anyways. but the full form mention of Rittenhouse is clear cut and indefensible by their own logic (but yes we all know that their own logic is not actually logic yaddayaddayadda)

  • MBech@feddit.dk
    38·
    7 days ago

    Fuck yes! Show them something more than a sign saying “I’m not very happy about the current state of affairs. Sorry”!

    • Cowbee_Admirer@reddthat.com
      72·
      7 days ago

      Agreed! We should all take example from the Marxist-Leninists over at the Black Panthers and organize to protect each other from the fascists in power in the US and in the EU!

  • toppy@lemy.lol
    13·
    6 days ago

    The black panther party needs to come back again. USA needs a revolution.

  • duncan_bayne@lemmy.worldEnglish
    187·
    7 days ago

    Historically, angry Marxist-Leninists with guns have been very useful allies in dealing with NAZIs! But history suggests that things didn’t work out too well afterwards, for those ruled by the angry Marxist-Leninists with guns …

  • Cowbee_Admirer@reddthat.com
    179·
    7 days ago

    Reminder to everyone that the hugely successful and wonderful original Black Panther Party were considered “authoritarian” and “violent” by the majority of whites back in the day. The Black Panthers were OG Tankies in every sense of the word, and they were incredibly good as a consequence. From Wikipedia:

    The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was an American far-left, Marxist–Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966

    Regarding a visit of Huey P. Newton to China:

    During the trip, the Chinese arranged for him to meet and have dinner with an ambassador from North Korea, an ambassador from Tanzania, and delegations from both North Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam.[44] Newton was under the impression he was going to meet Mao Zedong, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, but instead had two meetings with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. One of these meetings also included Mao’s wife Jiang Qing. Newton described China as “a free and liberated territory with a socialist government”

    THESE are the people that we disregard and insult and call “tankies”!!

  • Petter1@discuss.tchncs.de
    1·
    6 days ago

    If you are a black Panther, but an Arch user as well:

    “I feel like we’re welcome,” said one member, also carrying a firearm, who identified himself as Comrade Arch. He said he was a fan of the original group growing up, and he joined a few months ago. “I’ve always had a revolutionary spirit.”