This will make me unpopular on many fronts

[the_nita]

Been listening to people I know talking about the Black Bloc riot attacks. What disheartens me (beyond people being wantonly stupid in the situation and hurting people on either side

Comments

[olletho]

:) read what I just posted... slightly less articulate but riffing on the same theme.

[damedini]

I thought the security measures were a bit much-ish. Now I wonder if the aggressive police presence prevented more hooliganism, or provoked it. Not sure, but I'm saddened that groups (and I realize that the culprits are a few and not representative of the whole) that purport to oppose war, poverty and such would take what could be a prime opportunity to state their cause and instead a few "protestors" turn the whole thing into an ugly mess

[olletho]

"Now I wonder if the aggressive police presence prevented more hooliganism, or provoked it."

Possibly yes in equal parts. :-p

[freya46]

Wait!! I can't remember where I put my matches!!!!

[joncanuck]

I would have to agree.

Regardless of who the rioters work for or what their purpose is, nothing justifies these actions in the society we live in.

I'm all for peaceful protest, I'm all for open dialogue. There are a lot of peaceful protesters there and they have every right to be there.

These people are different, and this kind of action destroys causes. If it's determined that they are working for any government or police every person in the establishment who condoned this should spend the foreseeable future in jail.

If they are truly trying to protest for a cause, all they are doing is destroying the cause because the message is lost in the violence.

[dairymilk]

Thank you for articulating what I've been thinking. I dislike that the conversation is all about this group of unruly people, rather than about the issues surrounding why everyone else is there to protest.

[eliskimo]

I get the feeling there has been a lot of "selective reporting" going on this week -- which, of course, only serves to selectively reinforce the hysteria to which the hysterical were already prone.