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Originally Posted by steve1975
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On a smaller scale (but proportionate I reckon), I have lived through similar. Having to get home quickly (I was on a bicycle at the time) before they barricaded the roads. When police would dismantle and remove these barricades, the 'hoods' would emerge, throwing petrol bombs and bricks at them. Followed by car hijacking and more barricades made with burning stolen cars, and buses. Three weeks, at the end of my street, there would be three (always three, and that is 63 cars in total! - just on my street) burning cars blocking the road.
The stupidity of it was, it was their OWN areas these 'hoods' 'protested' in. There was little in the way of looting as far as I am aware. The protests were not limited to my street and surrounding roads in Belfast, but even 12 miles away at my hometown (as well as other traditionally loyalist areas).
The reason? Because a loyalist band was legally (and ultimately physically by police and army blockades) banned from marching through one road - past a republican/nationalist housing estate. From memory there were something like 6 deaths because of this, with one being watched by the police (although they may not have been aware of it at the time).
My point is, these 'protesters' hijack a legitimate cause to take revenge on those who obstruct them in their nefarious beliefs or activities. Quite often affecting only those who they say they are 'protesting' for. (ignoring the damage to property, but try using a Northern Irish postcode to get insurance - the reason is directly linked to these 'potests')
The looting, and destruction of property is what makes me lose sympathy for any cause. If you feel that the stores that 'serve the elite', need to be targets, protest outside them, deterring their customers - that will hurt more than destruction of property that will be replaced via insurance (increasing your own policies). Even the family of George Floyd have condemned the violence and destruction. These are thugs looking to bring anarchy to the streets to shield or justify their own illegal activities and gains.
Additionally, tarring a few rogue officers (which here at the time, there were proportionately more rogues in the RUC, than US Police forces) with the same brush is both wrong and counter productive. The police trying to maintain law and order, are not the problem, those not adhering to the requests of the police are (whether they are reasonable to you or not is not the problem, this can be investigated after). Protest as much as you wish, but do not complain about your right to protest when you destroy property or injure others.
These situations make me angry, not the death of George Floyd (that makes me sad and needs to be investigated as independently as possible). But such situations initially start with an implication of discrimination, even if they are not (here there are hoods who joyride and destroy cars, then claim discrimination when arrested for their religion! Some have been shot dead for driving through checkpoints, resulting in rioting with religion being the perceived reason).
Anyway, I am going to end that there, because it really makes me angry of the hijackers who try to jump on the bandwagon hoping to justify their own nefarious deeds, or muddy the waters.
In the meantime, like all situations like this, LA is a big place, and that video is a small area of destruction, I will leave
THIS here. Add to it, how many people think the US is a dangerous place to visit because of the fake protesters? I think it is dangerous because it is the US, but not because of this particular situation. But then I also know that one year NYC had more bomb scares in 1 year (I think it was 1999 or 2000), than have been in the whole of Ireland (North and South) in 30 years!