Well, well, well. . .
The New York Times has finally discovered the truth about “black bloc” anarchists wreaking havoc across the country:
The Truth About Today’s Anarchists https://t.co/FHSmgMFkRj
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) October 1, 2020
And. . .
It’s the Opinion section:
What a delicious irony. After four months of insanely biased "news" articles whitewashing the "peaceful protesters" terrorizing U.S. cities, @nytimes finally publishes a factual piece on these anarchist punks.
And labels it "opinion."https://t.co/1s65UDEwOR
— Gary Weiss (@gary_weiss) September 30, 2020
Dear journos: Note that this is spreading because *you* are minimizing the threat:
"The ability to continue to spread and to eventually bring more violence, including a violent insurgency, relies on the ability to hide in plain sight — to be confused with legitimate protests, and for media and the public to minimize the threat." https://t.co/oVqpqLa3ak
— Jeremy McLellan (@JeremyMcLellan) October 1, 2020
The lesson here is to stop listening to the talking heads on television:
“While talking heads on television routinely described it as a spontaneous eruption of anger at racial injustice, it was strategically planned, facilitated and advertised on social media by anarchists who believed that their actions advanced the cause of racial justice. In some cities, they were a fringe element, quickly expelled by peaceful organizers. But in Washington, Portland and Seattle they have attracted a ‘cultlike energy,’ Mr. Quinn told me.”
Ahhttps://t.co/rI4RMZK6Ol pic.twitter.com/OFEPB5mV2S
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) September 30, 2020
Recommended
They’ve hijacked the movement? You. Don’t. Say:
The Truth About Today’s Anarchists
“Insurrectionary anarchists” have been protesting for racial justice all summer. Some Black leaders wish they would go home.
https://t.co/taVpPnZYda— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) October 1, 2020
They have no allies:
"That’s the thing about “insurrectionary anarchists.” They make fickle allies. If they help you get into power, they will try to oust you the following day, since power is what they are against."https://t.co/V1WY8DO17A
— Alex McKeen (@alex_mckeen) October 1, 2020
More from the author of the piece:
My latest piece is about a photographer who's spent the last 4 months with "black bloc" anarchists in Denver, Portland, Seattle, Tulsa, Rochester and DC. He joined them to better understand who was setting fires/looting outside racial justice protests. https://t.co/POiTiZy9zX
— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) September 30, 2020
He hung out in chatrooms with the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front, who don’t accept anyone over 25. In Rochester, “black bloc” seemed a teenage fashion fad. In Tulsa, he saw BLM protesters + Trump supporters pray together.
— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) September 30, 2020
I got interested in his story because I’d investigated the looting/arson in Minneapolis that unfolded after George’s Floyd’s death. I felt sure that the destruction would distract from and derail the urgent demands for racial justice. But I was wrong, at least in the short term.
— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) September 30, 2020
The scale of the destruction drew more attention than a peaceful protest would have. Support for peaceful organizers and Black Lives Matter soared. Corporations opened their wallets. The more I looked into the anarchy, the more I understood the strategy behind it.
— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) September 30, 2020
But as the protests have gone on, the costs of these tactics have mounted. Black leaders working inside the system on practical measures to reduce police violence have been shouted down and criticized by anarchists want to abolish the police, not simply reform them.
— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) September 30, 2020
It made me wonder: Did "insurrectionary anarcharists" advance the cause of racial justice? Or had they hijacked it? https://t.co/POiTiZy9zX
— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) September 30, 2020
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