Rioting

[Ricardo]

I have 2 questions on rioting and violent protests.

First of all, is rioting a good thing? I know it raises public awareness, and shows civil unrest to the government, but I want to know your opinions.

Second, how does one go about starting a riot, I never understood how thousands of people can almost simultaneously take to the streets and start burning things, unless they are organized, or people start taking action once other do.

[YSR]

1. Unless it's lynching black people or throwing anarchists out of town, yes. Rioting is a basic level of communism, really. Unfortunately, it is one that comes without solidarity and respect for other people, which can lead to problems. But without heirarchial law governing people, they tend to "reposess" objects from the rich and the business owners. How can we not be in support of that?

2. Find a good reason and tell people about it.

[TC]

first: If you want to be totally ignored by the government, corporations, NGO or whomever's policy you're trying to affect, have a nice peaceful, passive protest. Say unoffensive slogans, march on a permitted route pre-negotiated with the police, and help them arrest you and your fellow protestors when they feel like it. If you want to effect change, start a riot, fight cops, burn things for TV cameras, and get away with it. Worked in France.

Second: You don't go about starting anything spontaniously, people aren't bees or ants they don't work that way, you organize a militant affinity group before the protest, with a specific plan and you use it to deliberately escelate into property destruction while staying within a larger crowed...militant actions by a few dozen people encourages militant actions in hundreds as they see that they can get away with it, it also provokes police reaction that further incites the crowd.

[jaster]

If you want to effect change, start a riot, fight cops, burn things for TV cameras, and get away with it.
word man.

[RebeldePorLaPAZ]

Rioting is a basic level of communism

How so? Does that mean that communists should riot? What are we violent people now?


If you want to effect change, start a riot, fight cops, burn things for TV cameras, and get away with it. Worked in France.

Riots come about after the peaceful protest has been over done. Look at history and you would see that riots come about after the police or military try to break up the peaceful protest. Riots come when the peaceful protest hit its climax and the government would not give into popular demand.

People don't just make change by rioting because you don't win popular support as that being your first step. You need to win the popular support and that a riot will eventually happen if change hasn’t. The next step from riots breaking out is an armed rebellion.


--Paz

[YSR]

How so? Does that mean that communists should riot? What are we violent people now?

No, but the conditions within a riot are a primative version of an angry structure without heirarchy. It is a case of lawlessness. Unfortunately, that lawlessness often involves violence against people who don't deserve it (witness my lynching example). But it is similar in that fashion.

[Djehuti]

Originally posted by [email protected] 11 2006, 12:17 AM

Second, how does one go about starting a riot, I never understood how thousands of people can almost simultaneously take to the streets and start burning things, unless they are organized, or people start taking action once other do.


Riots are rarely organized on a large scale. Most often some militant groups plan a demonstration or participate in a larger demonstration. The demonstration want to go closer to the place where the fascists, the politicians, the WTO, etc, are having their meeting (if it's a counter-demonstration). The police says no and start beating demonstrators, the militants fight back and parts of the other demonstrators join in. Now we have riots. The radio and TV start telling people: "There is disturbances in central [city] at the moment, so we recomend you to stay home", and then all the youth in the poor suburbs say "hey, I heard on the radio that theres riots and looting down town, let's gooo!!!". And the riots escalates. :D

[dusk]

Originally posted by Djehuti+Apr 14 2006, 10:01 PM--> (Djehuti @ Apr 14 2006, 10:01 PM)
[email protected] 11 2006, 12:17 AM

Second, how does one go about starting a riot, I never understood how thousands of people can almost simultaneously take to the streets and start burning things, unless they are organized, or people start taking action once other do.


Riots are rarely organized on a large scale. Most often some militant groups plan a demonstration or participate in a larger demonstration. The demonstration want to go closer to the place where the fascists, the politicians, the WTO, etc, are having their meeting (if it's a counter-demonstration). The police says no and start beating demonstrators, the militants fight back and parts of the other demonstrators join in. Now we have riots. The radio and TV start telling people: "There is disturbances in central [city] at the moment, so we recomend you to stay home", and then all the youth in the poor suburbs say "hey, I heard on the radio that theres riots and looting down town, let's gooo!!!". And the riots escalates. :D[/b]
You took the words right out of my mouth. ;)