• pjwestin@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    There were a lot of Pro-Palestinian protests last November in my city. One of them blocked a small bridge, and this was a conversation I had 3 times that day:

    Some Chud: “This is really dangerous! What if an ambulance needs to get by!”

    Me: “They’re letting emergency vehicles pass, and police are on the scene to make sure nothing unsafe happens.”

    S.C.: “Well, they’re certainly not winning anyone over with tactics like this!”

    Me: “They’re not trying to win you over, their stated goal is to force [X] politician to respond.”

    S.C.: “Well then they should go protest at [X] politicians house!”

    Me: “They protested at [X]'s office last week, but it wasn’t very disruptive, so you didn’t hear about it.”

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      There’s been non-stop protests in politician homes in Texas. You don’t hear about them because they’re peaceful.

      So maybe blocking roads is the way.

      • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        I mean, any protest that isn’t disruptive or making people uncomfortable isn’t effective. That being said, there were some BLM protesters who chained themselves to some cement filled barrels a few years ago. They completely blocked a highway, causing delays for several ambulances that had to be rerouted. That’s just stupid and dangerous. But if your goal is to force politicians to acknowledge the issue and take an official position on it, blocking a street or disrupting a public event is an effective tactic, as long as it’s done safely.