Forum Post: Protesters must control infiltration by government black-ops
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 15, 2011, 1:35 p.m. EST by MetalWTO
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This content is user submitted and not an official statement
There is a long history of the government sending covert agitators into anti-government protests to perpetrate acts of "senseless" violence to (a) destroy public sympathy for the cause, and (b) provoke police in a manner in which the actions against the whole movement by police, can appear "justified" in front of the media.
Burning the cars and vandalizing the shops of ordinary citizens who may well be sympathetic to the cause, is obviously highly damaging to the movement.
Anyone committing these acts of destruction should probably be viewed as government infiltrators intent upon destroying the credibility of the protests. They need to be stopped by OWS if possible.
I therefor suggest the following be considered as something to be organized and implemented:
A "Peoples Police" consisting of units of 3-6 individuals clearly identified and identifiable as such. (Perhaps with white bandannas or white T-shirts with text).
Each unit would move through the protests making lawful citizens arrests upon individuals acting against the interests of OWS through the aforementioned acts of violence. Plastic handcuffs could be used to detain them.
The middle class is not your enemy at this point, and I do not want to see their sympathies with the movement destroyed.
This is a legitimate concern and "headless" or not, this movement has to denounce violence and harm. The news today out of Italy struck me the same way. Groups of protestors showed up and started raising hell and were "seemingly at odds" with the main group. Hmmmm! I'm not saying it isn't possible for some misguided and angry protestors to freakout, but it is also the best possible things for those who want to characterize this movement(?) as a gang of violent Marxist, lazy-louts, who burn things and beat people when the government is writing them a check just for being a unique and special person or just giving them a great big hug.
I don't know why it isn't possible to guard against this. People have managed to do this before in the Indian non-violent revolution, the 60's civil rights protests and the velvet revolutions in parts of Eastern Europe. I'm sure in all of these cases there were some moments that got out of hand, but the media is definitely gunning for the "Occupy" Movements. Truth be told, I think that working well with policy officers in the U.S. and appealing to the working class members of the media is something we have on our side. People are certainly going to try to keep their jobs in the media just like anyone else, but if you keep the news full enough long enough and keep working well with the police, then there is a chance for positive coverage.
Now, we just need a sex tape that we can "accidentally" release to keep the media on our side. That said, I'm not seeing a lot of sex tape material out there in Occupy land (of course I include myself, too). Just in case it wasn't clear, that last bit was a joke. I think it is a good idea to have a sense of humor about yourself and life.
The main point is that there will be agitators and people who try to make us look bad. We must have some positive responses and strategies.
I often wonder if we couldn't have a protest in which everyone dressed up and looked like they were going to church. I know that idea will be decried by people who will suggest that it is a lie and that people should be able to look like they want to look and express themselves, etc. One issue at a time, please. The idea is that out of all the protestors the media will find those who are the most at odds with what older Americans think is appropriate, or has the look of a responsible younger person. The protest against the inauguration of G.W.Bush was filled with men and woman in suits and dresses, but the media picked out those who looked as if they hadn't taken a bath in several weeks. So the protestors as portrayed by the national media came across as some fringe element of society who hadn't mastered the difficult and subtle science of bathing themselves let alone voting. The same is true of the WTO protests, etc...
If our critics suggest that we are the lazy, can't-take-a-bath, 99%, then we should Occupy looking like exactly what we are; normal, decent, hardworking people who are being harmed by a corporate state that is supposed to be OUR government. They have a war, we do the dying. They make a debt, we pay the check. Their rich friends scam us, we lose our houses while paying for their raises. They go broke, but we the vanishing middle class and the poor pay, so that they can remain wealthy. But, we are not people who are incapable of working or unwilling to be responsible and that needs to be evident in how we present ourselves. We are the citizens of the United States who are tired of corporate welfare, war to make weapons manufacturers rich and innocent foreign civilians dead, and the destruction of the planet upon which our existence depends.
Even if you don't like it, the sound-bite world of television media must be obvious to you. We need to be able to confront our opponents on that level if we want succeed.
And there's nothing to stop agitators from donning the same identifying gear and then going around clubbing people for fun.
This so-called "People's Police" would have no way to prove its legitimacy.
This is part and parcel of a movement with no organizational structure. You can't police yourselves, either. For all the benefits of the headless strategy, don't imagine for a second there are no costs.
Yeah that or just um...ignore them.
That actually sounds like a very good idea.