PrintApril 27, 2008
Meet the Protestors
It is no big surprise that there have been protests after the New York police officers in the Bell case were acquitted. There will be more, Mr. Sharpton assures the world. Indeed, there will be. And it is instructive to look at just what groups are supporting the protests. Thanks to the internet, finding out this information is quite easy.
First, one has to find pictures of the protests. That's as easy as a Google search for news images. One recurring photo from Reuters which I found in the Sydney Morning Herald, calls for the city to "Jail Racist Killer Cops" - never mind that some of the cops were the same race as Mr. Bell. The interesting thing really is at the bottom of the sign. It is the web address of the organization giving material support to the protestors. In this case, it's the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Thankfully, the reader doesn't have to go very deep into the PSL's website to figure out the groups stance on matters. If the picture of Che Guevara on the top left corner of the front page doesn't give it away, the columns in support of China (oddly clothed in the double-negative "oppose the anti-China campaign) are clear indicators of the groups politics. Oh, and there's the coverage of the Winter Solider proceedings as well - in video format.
It would be instructive to find out just how many of those protestors know whose banner they are carrying. My guess is that most of them have no clue that they are walking advertisements for socialists. But as Orwell so aptly illustrated in Animal Farm, the crowd doesn't necessarily know how - or in this case, what - to read.
Bob Myer blogs at mindofflapjack.blogspot.com
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