Independent Journalist & Author
Is Nonviolence Still The Answer To Far-Right Thuggery?
As Donald Trump gleefully incites violence and white supremacists and others carry it out, what is the best response–the nonviolence of Martin Luther King, Jr., or the street fighting of Antifa? That’s the question my colleague Sasha Abramsky brilliantly reports and discussed in this piece I edited: https://www.thenation.com/article/is-nonviolence-or-fighting-back-the-answer-to-far-right-thuggery/
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Until the current power dynamic changes, non violent protest is still the most effective way. Why? Part of it is public perception of protestors. Many see protests and think violent scary out of control black people that only care about looting and so on. If a lot of people of color are there, it’s automatically a “riot”. If it mostly whites, it’s a “disturbance”.
For whatever reasons, many people aren’t ready for violence in the streets. They’re not ready to deal with the consequences of this.
In 1968, Rod Serling was one of many national figures protesting the Vietnam War. Keep in mind that he was a WWII vet who suffered from PTSD his whole life. His argument was to protest non violently. That way you gain more support. Then hopefully violent overthrow of the govt. wouldn’t be necessary.