Demonstrations at Republican National Convention
This is a story Paul Canning emailed me yesterday asking me to highlight about demonstrations at the Republican National Convention.
I have to admit that this one went under my radar, and I completely missed it - I thought the Convention had basically closed down for the day, and would have thought the demonstrators and police would do the same. Apparently not!
From Paul:
You may not have read this - because no UK MSM is covering it, including the Guardian (typical coverage by the Times) - but protesters at the Republican convention are being preemptively raided with automatic weapons shoved in their and their children’s faces. Just like Genoa with a bit less physical violence.
(I’ve noticed coverage in the Mail too yesterday, and the BBC today.)
Categories: All WW, International, News - Current Affairs, Politics
The ‘pre-emptive’ raids haven’t had any coverage. But yesterdays arrests of a number of reporters, photographers and producers - including one from the AP and another from the New York Post - have now produced a different spin about the police ‘crackdown’ in the US MSM to the sorts of stories about the protests regurgitated in the UK MSM.
Something similar happened at the last GOP convention and they ended up paying out millions in compensation. Then, digital coverage was essential. My point is that thanks to the web and digital pioneers we get to see what’s happening so they can’t just spin their way out of excesses.
We’re not quite at that stage in the UK but we’ll get there, and that’s a good thing.
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@paul canning: Thanks for the clarification.
Matt
So let me get this straight because maybe I’m not understanding this. There’s a hurricane in the gulf and a relief effort ongoing. Instead of helping poor people in the affected areas or taking some other kind of action to help out these protesters instead gathered outside the convention to protest about poverty? Strikes me as a bit of the old ‘do as I say not as I do’ mentality.
From my observation much of the protest was about the war, but it ranged far and wide including groups like Food Not Bombs and christian groups who are also doing exactly what you suggest they do. I’m sure they had a few things to say about how both the feds and the state continue to fail the people in New Orleans as well. Google Harry Shearer or ‘levees’. I’m sure the delegates would rather forget Katrina but that’s what protest is for.