where tf are leftists getting money to hire private security and why wouldn't I put that money instead into arming and protecting comrades, paying them instead to organize? hired security is going to make literally everyone you're trying to work with distrust you. the whole political statement is that we have to come together as a community to fight for ourselves and defend ourselves, that we're stronger together, and you want to bring private security that doesn't share that ethos into spaces with vulnerable people who have a lot of reason to distrust rent-a-cops? this is a bad take.
The concept of a separate identity for the group performing violence (self defence in this case) and those that are “non violent and reasonable” in order to provide cover for one another aa part of the same movement has been done a ton of times before.
It's done currently too. Primera Linea in Chile is one such example and it works exceptionally well. The "Front Line" are a drop-in drop-out group of whoever wants to take part that form the people who "protect the protesters". Their optics is "We exist to protect other people from the vicious police force so they can protest peacefully". Their MO is to form walls and block the police from reaching the protesters. It invariably always becomes combat because police can't fucking help themselves but it is combat away from the regular protesters.
Good image and good method all-round. The idea of superhero outfits probably makes everyone here cringe but it works.
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where tf are leftists getting money to hire private security and why wouldn't I put that money instead into arming and protecting comrades, paying them instead to organize? hired security is going to make literally everyone you're trying to work with distrust you. the whole political statement is that we have to come together as a community to fight for ourselves and defend ourselves, that we're stronger together, and you want to bring private security that doesn't share that ethos into spaces with vulnerable people who have a lot of reason to distrust rent-a-cops? this is a bad take.
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It's done currently too. Primera Linea in Chile is one such example and it works exceptionally well. The "Front Line" are a drop-in drop-out group of whoever wants to take part that form the people who "protect the protesters". Their optics is "We exist to protect other people from the vicious police force so they can protest peacefully". Their MO is to form walls and block the police from reaching the protesters. It invariably always becomes combat because police can't fucking help themselves but it is combat away from the regular protesters.
Good image and good method all-round. The idea of superhero outfits probably makes everyone here cringe but it works.
https://observers.france24.com/en/20200103-frontline-activists-primera-linea-protecting-protesters-chile-santiago-super-heroes
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