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The protests before this happened turned violent. Anyone who thought that this one wouldn't turn violent was either spectacularly naive or, frankly, stupid.
Now I don't know about you, but common sense to me dictates that if you don't want to be mishandled by police in riot gear, its best to avoid being at the front of a protest taunting those very same police while other people around you are throwing stones, bottles, bricks etc at them.
You then have to ask yourself just how difficult is it to get a wheelchair to the front of a protest like that. Just think about that for a moment - how many hundreds of people were there?
The guy was there, because he wanted to be there. What happened to him was a result of him being there.
Originally posted by Zamini
reply to post by neformore
You assume, that people have no right to protest. And even if they do have a right to protest, they must do so in a non-protesting manner.
You assume, that genuine protesters turn these riots violent. While it has been proven(over and over and over again) that agent provocateurs are the root cause of these violent acts.
Why oh Why would they have turned violent.
Sure, if you want to avoid protesting why protest? I get you. Common sense dictates that protesters in Western countries are beaten up by riot geared police(it didn't but now it does). Common sense dictates that a guy in a wheelchair is just there to lure a riot geared police dude into beating him up?
Sure, if you want to avoid getting hurt you shouldn't go to places you can get hurt. But what if that place is the only place you can voice your opinion?
Difficult? So if you were at, lets say a concert you wouldn't let the guy in a wheelchair behind you take a space in front of you? Even if only to have a better view/not be hassled/pushed by *a huge moving mass of people around them?
Really?
Come on.. you can't be serious. The revolutionaries who got you your freedom from religious and royal authorities are turning in their graves
Originally posted by neformore
Of course, if you're a vulnerable disabled person in a wheelchair without any intent to cause, or be a part of trouble you are going to be on the front line of a potential riot, right?
Jody McIntyre is not quite what he seems.
edit on 28/5/11 by neformore because: (no reason given)
throw bricks/stones/bottles and anything that they can get their hands on at other people.
Proven by whom? Those who want to stick it to the police any way they can? Colour me cynical.
I'm assuming at this point that you have no idea what took place at the protests before this incident. If you do you wouldn't be asking. Was is the Police dropping fire extinguishers off the top of a building on to people below?
The legitimate protest was hijacked by those who just wanted a ruck.
If you want to avoid protesting, you don't show up anywhere.
If you want to protest, you show up and act in a peaceful manner, away from where there is trouble. Simple really.
If standing at the front of a mob throwing stuff at the police is the only place that someone thinks they can be heard then that's their problem. Strikes me its the last place anyone is going to pay them much attention. They will just get labelled in the media as yobs. idiots and troublemakers.
Bit of a difference between a concert and a riot. Get real.
The revolutionaries who got me my freedom installed a democratically elected government that is voted on every 5 years and who draft the laws of the land. They didn't give me the right to commit acts of violence against other people and wreck property - in fact they drew up laws against it.