“Protesters were not arrested for peaceful protest. They were arrested for breaking the law. We support efforts to hold protesters accountable for their actions.”
… while i do definitely agree with the protests and think worst of the oil company, i also agree that facing the (legal) consequences of protest is an important part of the equation.
Maybe, just maybe, we should prioritize arresting the people this woman was protesting, first?
It’s great that you think chaining oneself to a structure is so damning as to deserve jail time. How dare she slightly inconvenience the people destroying our world.
No. You miss the point. This is civil disobedience. And part of civil disobedience is showing the laws are unjust by going to jail for something that shouldn’t be a crime.
Because it shows your commitment to the cause is genuine. It shows you believe enough in your cause to sacrifice your freedom for it. It lends credibility to your cause because you show the public you and your allies genuinely and passionately believe in what you’re doing.
And then you and your allies shout far and wide about the injustice, so that even people who wouldn’t support your cause in a vacuum support you because you’re being treated unfairly by the law.
It’s a lot more complicated than that, but it all boils down to breaking the law to send a message and accepting the consequences to reinforce that message in the public’s eye.
Compare to the J6 “protesters” who spent the last two years hiding from the consequences of their actions because they lacked the courage of their convictions.
I’d still prefer someone breaking the law to fight the system just escaped. I think the propaganda value of the state trying to prosecute and failing is much more than them succeeding, and I’d rather anyone that committed was still out and living their lives.
… while i do definitely agree with the protests and think worst of the oil company, i also agree that facing the (legal) consequences of protest is an important part of the equation.
Enlightened centrism in a nutshell
Maybe, just maybe, we should prioritize arresting the people this woman was protesting, first?
It’s great that you think chaining oneself to a structure is so damning as to deserve jail time. How dare she slightly inconvenience the people destroying our world.
Fucking dip shit legalism!
No. You miss the point. This is civil disobedience. And part of civil disobedience is showing the laws are unjust by going to jail for something that shouldn’t be a crime.
Because it shows your commitment to the cause is genuine. It shows you believe enough in your cause to sacrifice your freedom for it. It lends credibility to your cause because you show the public you and your allies genuinely and passionately believe in what you’re doing.
And then you and your allies shout far and wide about the injustice, so that even people who wouldn’t support your cause in a vacuum support you because you’re being treated unfairly by the law.
It’s a lot more complicated than that, but it all boils down to breaking the law to send a message and accepting the consequences to reinforce that message in the public’s eye.
Compare to the J6 “protesters” who spent the last two years hiding from the consequences of their actions because they lacked the courage of their convictions.
I’d still prefer someone breaking the law to fight the system just escaped. I think the propaganda value of the state trying to prosecute and failing is much more than them succeeding, and I’d rather anyone that committed was still out and living their lives.