Internet Vigilantism

[Berzerker]

See, now you're just playing dumb.

In that photo? No. In this photo?

I could maybe spot a couple.

Do see anyone waving a gun around? Militia-types are gun rights activists, what is dumb about that? You posted a photo of a few guys in fatigues with guns defending themselves thereby creating a zone of non-violence around them and compared them to the actual Nazis who violently suppressed critics. So now you're posting a photo of another group. Other than moving the goalposts, whats the point? You're still conflating the gun rights activists with other protesters.

 

[Arwon]

Oh the people getting so upset about the removal of white supremacist statue installed in 1930 that they're whipping out a solid two grand's worth of play solider equipment, outgunning the local beat cops, to protect angry nazis from their targets, are "gun rights activists" are they.

 

[Traitorfish]

You decided it... People protesting the government are not allying themselves to the causes of other protesters, just the cause at hand.

The organisers called the rally "United the Right". It was never, at any point, framed as a single-issue protest.

Do see anyone waving a gun around? Militia-types are gun rights activists, what is dumb about that? You posted a photo of a few guys in fatigues with guns defending themselves thereby creating a zone of non-violence around them and compared them to the actual Nazis who violently suppressed critics.

What you are describing is intimidation. The Nazis also intimidated their opponents. They used violence when intimidation failed. Am I so deeply uncharitable that I do not trust people who turn up to a protest march dressed as Action Man to have a dramatically deeper well of patience than the Sturmabteilung?

(Also!, when I tried to wing the spelling of "Sturmabteilung", spellcheck suggested "masturbating", so: haha, yes, this guy gets it.)

 

[Arwon]

Odd they wanted to rally the right to unity around a white supremacist statue built in 1924 really

 

[Traitorfish]

They were using their second amendment rights to create a zone of non-blackness.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

What you are describing is intimidation. The Nazis also intimidated their opponents. They used violence when intimidation failed. Am I so deeply uncharitable that I do not trust people who turn up to a protest march dressed as Action Man to have a dramatically deeper well of patience than the Sturmabteilung?

So elsewhere today, we've had Antifa turning up and actually being violent described as "good" because they make their fellow left-wing protesters feel safer. Here we're having these action man dudes turning up and not being violent described as "bad" because they make their fellow right-wing protesters feel safer. So intimidation is "what nazis do", while going beyond intimidation and actually hurting people is the tactic of the good guys. I'll jot that down in case I forget.

(And yes yes, the guy in the Dodge, Anders Breivik, etc, I know I know)

 

[Ryika]

Also remember that when Antifa was running through Hamburg, setting ablaze a ton of cars of cars, and chanting "violent rhetoric", that was described as "only property damage" by a number of people here. The way the concept of "intimidation" is applied seems to be rather inconsistent.

 

[plarq]

Antifa? Are you sure they are not radical Muslim refugees?

 

[Ryika]

Antifa? Are you sure they are not radical Muslim refugees?

Maybe they're radical Muslim refugees who joined Antifa! Who knows, hard to tell when they're masked.

 

[plarq]

Just catch some and get testimonies.

Since these guys are masked how do you know they are antifas?

 

[Ryika]

Because they were bragging about it on the internet.

 

[red_elk]

May be they were burning cars belonging to fascists...

 

[Traitorfish]

So you people don't even know the difference between Anti-fascist Action and the black blocs?

Jeez.

It's like trying to discuss Star Trek with someone who thinks tribbles were the guys with pointy ears.

 

[Broken_Erika]

So you people don't even know the difference between Anti-fascist Action and the black blocs?

Jeez.

It's like trying to discuss Star Trek with someone who thinks tribbles were the guys with pointy ears.

Thats just silly, the ones with pointy ears were Klingons! Tribbles were the ones with crinkley foreheads, like Worf.

 

[Berzerker]

Bill Maher questioned the wisdom of tracking protesters down to get them fired... Course he's a bit more concerned with free speech given his profession. He asked that of Jesse Jackson...he didn't get an answer.

The organisers called the rally "United the Right". It was never, at any point, framed as a single-issue protest.

What you are describing is intimidation. The Nazis also intimidated their opponents. They used violence when intimidation failed.

The Nazis showed up at other people's rallies with violence, these guys didn't show up at someone else's rally and behave violently. Maybe you should stop smearing them.

 

[Ryika]

So you people don't even know the difference between Anti-fascist Action and the black blocs?

Jeez.

It's like trying to discuss Star Trek with someone who thinks tribbles were the guys with pointy ears.

Black bloc is the name of the strategy used, wearing all black and hiding ones face, so one can not be identified. The black bloc on the g20 consisted at least in part out of people from Antifa, which we again know because they bragged about it on the internet. Soo... yeah. No idea what point you think you have, but you have none.

I would link you directly to some articles, but their online presence has unfortunately been declared illegal and taken offline a few days ago. Heh... funny how that works in Germany, amiright?

You can however still read blogs like this one (those articles are all about the G20, but they're in German, so you'll have to google translate them) to see an example of what many Antifa groups have to say about the protests - that they were a "righteous response" to perceived unfair treatment by the police.