Gaza war protesters shut down Golden Gate Bridge, block traffic in other cities

return2ozma@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 654 points –
Gaza war protesters shut down Golden Gate Bridge, block traffic in other cities
nbcnews.com
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MLK Jr. literally wrote about this exact same thing in his Letter from Birmingham jail.

that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’ ”

Yeah I remember reading that in college. He wasn't the bland platitudes guy high schools teach.

He was also assassinated right after he started pivoting from civil rights to economic inequality (starting the Poor People's Campaign). Funny coincidence, that.

If it were today, he would've "commited suicide" with a shot to the back of the head.

Stopping traffic on the Golden Gate bridge to protest a genocide on the other side of the planet is so far from direct action.

When the state responsible for the genocide is reliant on our military aid its disingenuous to refer to it as a "genocide on the other side of the planet"

It's realistic. And these protesters could be realistic and maybe even effective if they tried to disrupt production of that aid we're sending to Israel. But I'm pretty sure F-15s aren't made on a bridge.

There is difference between peaceful protest and sabotage. Exactly like there is a difference between discussing with someone and punch them in the face.

If you think people should not discuss because it’s pointless and should directly switch to punch in the face I suspect you are not necessarily the internet stranger I want to listen to

disrupting production is sabotage?

disrupting production is sabotage, but disrupting the economic health of a city is...?

at least you would be inconveniencing people that have a stake

Yet here I am, in Germany, seeing that many US citizens apparently care about the situation. This I might not have known without this article.

It's about exposure. That's why climate activists glue themselves to the streets here in Germany. Does it make sense? Not really. Do people know the cause they're fighting for? Absolutely. That's a good thing.

I wish they cared this much about the people suffering in Sudan right now... Where's the mass protests for those people..

The U.S. isn’t funding the Sudanese military junta or the foreign fighters, that’s such a ridiculous counterpoint to try to make.

They're still suffering? Why does it matter about USA funding the military in regards to what I am saying.

At least 16000 dead this last year in Sudan.. look it up, educate yourself. It's really horrific what those human beings are enduring. I'm also not American yet there's big protests disrupting our cities, so your country providing money to whoever doesn't mean anything to me.

Why do you care about the Palestinians or Israelis or whatever but you aren't putting the same effort into caring about the Sudanese suffering? It seems extremely hypocritical.

I guess my point is more that it's hypocritical for all these big protests over this one war but they aren't caring about this other war.

I want you to stop and think about something. The same indifference you are showing towards the Sudanese is the same indifference that a lot of us North Americans trying to live our life feel towards this stuff happening in Gaza.

You don't "care" about them (unsure of wording, maybe "don't think about them" is better?) the same way we don't care (or can't gather the mental energy to worry about what is happening across the ocean when we are struggling to take care of our families with high rent and high food prices and our own problems). We have our own life issues and while it's no where near as awful as what's happening to the people in either of those regions, it's hard to gather energy to care beyond "oh that's terrible" when you are struggling in your day to day life.

Stopping up a major bridge isn't going to help anyone. If they want to make a difference perhaps going to the place the politicians are would work better. Screwing over normal citizens trying to live their life isn't going to make any of them care more, it will have the opposite effect, people who are tired or don't care won't suddenly be sympathetic. They'll get angry at the protestors for making their day even harder. Disrupt the politicians lives, they're the ones who actually control this stuff.