We should be worried about what happened in Quebec City the other day. It was not just unseemly. It certainly was not funny. They came for a fight, to create and to foster mayhem. For an insular society, these Quebecers brought dishonour to their country and their province.
The fascists, who call themselves La Muete (which translates to: The Pack) should have been ignored. The media had a light day. They gave both sides opportunities for publicity. Bored teenagers came for the thrill. Thugs came for the brawl. They all brought their weapons of choice.
The first problem was that it was hard to tell the Pack from the counter-protestors. They both wanted to rough up the news media. The police, in their European style riot gear, tried to keep the peace by taking the Pack out of sight. Pleased with themselves, the Pack went along.
The anti-fascist protestors were bored and they took out their frustrations on police and media. These protestors came for a fight and they felt they were being denied. The police finally got tired of the troublemakers in the counter protest and declared that protest to be an illegal assembly. They chased the trouble makers away after making a single symbolic arrest.
The main problem with these protestors was that many of them had their faces covered. They did not seem to understand that you do not cover your face nor should you bring weapons to protest fascism. Fascism uses bullying tactics. All you have to do is stand up to them and say ‘No.’ You have no need to hide your identity. When you fail to show your face, you are showing fear. You are letting the fascists win.
And the fascists won in Quebec City. They made the anti-fascists look foolish. They gave the finger to the news media. They had their march. It ended in front of the empty National Assembly buildings. It proved nothing other than that they could. The news media had little else to cover on a summer weekend. It got reported.
There are really many better things to do on a pleasant summer weekend in Quebec City.
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Copyright 2017 © Peter Lowry
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