The Silence is Deafening

Where are the demands for the president to “call out” the Workers World Party and others who organized the destruction of the statue in Durham yesterday?  Why did law enforcement just passively stand by and watch? 

“Sheriff’s deputies recorded the event but did not intervene as a protester climbed a ladder and slipped a yellow, bungie-like cord around the soldier’s head and arm and a group pulled the cord.”  These people were breaking the law and destroying property – in this case a statue which is an art work.  They chose to do this violently rather than follow legal processes and the rule of law.  Why were they not arrested or at least cited for laws prohibiting moving or destroying the statue and for property destruction?

After toppling the statue and continuing to kick and destroy it, the group marched and blocked traffic.  They then returned to the statute. “The line of protesters walked back to the old courthouse. Some took photographs with the fallen statue. Sheriff’s officials continued to take video.”  Again, I ask, why no arrests?  One of the protesters waved a sign in front of the police that said “cops and clan go hand in hand” on one side and “Black Lives Matter smash white supremacy” on the other.

I understand that arrests are now being pursued by law enforcement, but why not when the acts began?  Why not when they put the noose around the statue?  Why not before the statue was destroyed?  And, why today are there protests and marches all across the country in solidarity with the lawless acts of the Durham demonstrators?

The Workers World Party states “Workers World Party is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist party dedicated to organizing and fighting for a socialist revolution in the United States and around the world.” The WWP member who helped to organize the violence stated that “Conversations about loving your neighbor have not worked” and thus “people need to embrace multiple tactics.”  Apparently these tactics include non-peaceful demonstration, breaking the law, and destroying property.  Does it also include violence against humans who hold differing views as the WWP pursues its revolution against our form of government?

Antifa also participated.  As seen recently at Berkeley, they do not hesitate to commit violence on people who disagree with them.  They are described by the BBC as “anti-government and anti-capitalist, and their methodologies are often perceived as more closely aligned with anarchists than the mainstream left.  Antifa does not shy away from militant protest methods, including the destruction of property and sometimes physical violence.”

Nazis and racists and certain far Right groups often spew anti-American rhetoric and violent acts by people associated with those groups threaten our way of life.  But so does anarchy and violent acts by people associated with groups on the Left advocating the overthrow of our government.

So, why the deafening silence demanding condemnation of these groups?   Why not denounce “all sides” as our president originally did?   I acknowledge that the Durham statue was offensive to some, but even assuming it should have been taken down, why not follow legal means to do so? Or, do the ends justify any means necessary? Are we at a point where it is OK to ignore the law if we think our cause is just enough?  If so, who makes that determination?  And if it is OK (and sometimes it is) the laws must still be enforced.  That is, for example, during demonstrations in the 60s I knew I might be arrested or worse, but I also expected law enforcement to do its job and enforce the laws until the voices of the people were heard and the laws were changed.  When laws are only selectively enforced we are on our way to anarchy.  Is this really what people want?