Reply #24: I've seen the counterdemos done poorly and also well [View All]

[UncleSepp]

The largest difference seems to be the attitude of the counterdemonstrators. If the counterdemonstrators keep it peaceful and orderly, and keep their confrontations to engaging individuals in arguments, they can work. If the hate on the counterdemonstrators' side is greater than the hate they're protesting, the whole thing becomes an exercise in silliness and the neos, frankly, come off looking pretty good.

In Birmingham in about 1990 or so (I would have to dig out the event flier and stuff to get the date right), the police tried using an isolate and ignore strategy for one of these demos - to the point of keeping the line of police protection around the demonstrators so far out that the media couldn't get good pictures, and flying a helicopter so low over them that nobody could hear anything. In my opinion, it was a strategy like this which led to the development of the strategy when dealing with peace marchers now. Even then, I didn't like the sneaky way that was carried out. It's not the same thing as not showing up to a counterdemo, but it's a different angle on the "ignore them" concept.

I'm not convinced about the effectiveness of the "ignore them" strategy, because it could easily come across as "nobody cares what we do". If, as seems to be the consensus opinion here, politically active neo-Nazis thrive on attention, then one of the possible reactions to not getting a reaction would be to step up the provocation until a response is reached.

What this group seems to be doing, by marching through a majority minority neighborhood beset by gang violence, is probably to present an image of tough whites in order to attract whites who are afraid to some degree, and who lack a sense of belonging. The reason I said white counterdemonstrators specifically, is that a disciplined group of white demonstrators without the racial hatred would be just as attractive to the same demographic, and would go to the heart of what this demo appears to be about. If a white kid sees no other place for himself than the neo-Nazis or the Army because we haven't gotten out there and presented an alternative, whose fault is that?

Just my $0.02... I know a little about this kind of thing, but not enough to pretend my opinion's worth more than anybody else's :-)