Iranian Protests vs. American Protests

[eric]

You know... With all of this talk about Iranian protests and baton-wielding riot police spraying the air with gunfire, the media seems to be purposefully ignoring the same enforcement practices taking place in America for our own protests.

Miami police tase innocent protestors in Miami

Police tase innocent protestors at an anti-recruiting rally

Some of the 1960's protests. Enough said.

Police violating religious freedom and tolerance in Berkeley

Police threatening, chasing and intimidating protestors for May Day Immigration Reform Protest. Firing guns.

These are only 5 examples of who knows how many! I was in a group of 100 or so protesters tear gassed in '05 during an Iraq war protest in Baltimore, and I was only going to get a burrito at En Fuego! I wasn't even a participant.

And we have the right to question Iran's judgment?

Now, I'm not saying I condone the way the Iranian government is handling the protests, but at the same time who are we to speak?

The mainstream media seems to have forgotten to make mention of any of this. I just don't get it.

 

[lvlninety9]

You know... With all of this talk about Iranian protests and baton-wielding riot police spraying the air with gunfire, the media seems to be purposefully ignoring the same enforcement practices taking place in America for our own protests.

These are only 5 examples of who knows how many! I was in a group of 100 or so protesters tear gassed in '05 during an Iraq war protest in Baltimore, and I was only going to get a burrito at En Fuego! I wasn't even a participant.

And we have the right to question Iran's judgment?

Now, I'm not saying I condone the way the Iranian government is handling the protests, but at the same time who are we to speak?

The mainstream media seems to have forgotten to make mention of any of this. I just don't get it.

I hate to say this, but here's a key point that you are missing. In all of those videos save the one from the 60's, and the May Day (Because you really can't see much of the start where the police were), it was the protesters that incited police action against them. When a police officer tells you to back up and you don't do it, you are then considered a threat. Protesters need to understand this but they don't. They keep pushing and pushing. Once this happens you have then become someone who is being non compliant and you are threatening the officers that are on the job at that location.

As for the religious protest that you showed? It's being banned more and more because of people that become offended by anything religious that's being around them or even just a religious symbol that they have to see. So in most places that is not a church, religious displays as that one are banned outright and you are then violating the rights of the people who are not a part of that said religion and are breaking the law. The police then have to enforce that law.

Protests are a very touchy subject. But when it comes to the police and military going into action, it is more then likely, and shown in quite a few of those videos, that the protesters themselves are putting the officers in a position of being threatened. When a cop tells you to back away it's for a reason. It's for his safety and the safety of the public around them. Once you move in on them and refuse to back off, you are now a threat to the public and to the officer. If you want to protest that's fine and dandy and I say you should. But when it comes for the time to break it up and the officers order you to disband, you accomplish nothing but making your protest weaker by inciting action to be taken against you.

That's the main thing with all of the videos that you posted. When the officers told them to back up they didn't. They bucked up their chests and tried to push on. I feel sorry for those that feel that this is the way to get your point across as it really isn't. It makes you look like a crazy fanatic.

 

[eric]

I take no issue with your statement, however I'm sure the same could be said for the Iranian police versus the Iranian protesters.

Religious expression doesn't interfere with the Pursuit of Happiness of others as they are not forced to recognize religion, but the degradation of religion certainly does. This wasn't necessarily a religious protest so much as it was a Native American ceremony and it was infringed upon by the police.

Now, as for the police telling the protesters to back away as "It's for [their] safety and the safety of the public around them," there are no instances of endangerment present. With this very same argument when applied to these scenarios, the only plausible conclusion is that there is no safe way to protest. This equates to oppression, and tramples our right to protest and degrades the notion of civil disobedience.

As for public safety, many times the issue being protested is more endangering to public safety than the protest itself. Protesters were not hurting anyone in any of the videos, but the police certainly were.

Now don't get me wrong, I support law enforcement absolutely (I am a mason after all), but I do not condone the false authority many police officers bestow upon themselves. It seems they often forget they are public servants, not public totalitarians.

 

[eric]

I also feel it's important to mention in the May Day video police are firing into the air. It just seems inconveniently familiar to so many of the news stories I've been hearing on the tube and radio over the past week, but it's been blown to new heights.

Also understand, I'm not saying that most of these practices aren't actually useful in maintaining order and civility, all I'm saying is that we really need to recognize the inconsistencies in the medias portrayal of the Iranian protests versus our own. There is no doubt in my mind the law enforcement there is doing exactly what the law enforcement here would do if 200,000 people took to the streets in protest of a presidential election.

 

[lvlninety9]

It's entirely possible, but I do agree with you that it is very difficult to protest anything. Law enforcement is told to quickly shut down anything that can possibly get out of hand by the higher ups. I know there was one vid don't remember which one where I heard the police telling individuals to back up and they didn't. It was short and quick but it was there. I do however think that there are some of those in law enforcement that are a bit gung-ho about protesters. It's sad to say the least. I think that protesters should be able to do so. Given that I'm a criminal justice major and pretty much wanting to further my career in law enforcement it's a very touchy situation to say the least. I do know some officers that when put on riot duty when there's a protest really don't like it and are quick to jump the gun. This is more evident as more and more officers are being charged with excessive force in matters that don't need it. It's actually quite sad when you sit back and think about where our society is heading when protesters decide they don't want to back down and get that one officer who won't take crap. I for one try to be as unbiased as possible towards anyone but given certain situations it's a very difficult thing to do. Most officers will only tell you once then will hit you with a tazer. I personally don't condone that action and feel that to justify that type of force you would have to at least give a person more then one warning. That's just my thoughts on the matter though.

 

[breakfastchef]

There is a huge difference between American protests and Iranian protests. The Iranian government ordered the crack down on protester, whereas, most of your examples are possible abuses of power by local authorities. lvlninety9 is right to point out that police officers have a duty to maintain order and protect themselves. All departments have protocols for this type of instance. If you are given fair warning to cease some activity, the police would counter with appropriate tactics for the situation.

 

[eric]

Not necessarily so. You're taking the medias report at face value. We have no idea the Iranian government gave direct orders to their police officers to commit any of the heinous the acts they're committing.

The truth is, the way things are being handled there are no different than they would be handled here.

 

[breakfastchef]

Not necessarily so. You're taking the medias report at face value. We have no idea the Iranian government gave direct orders to their police officers to commit any of the heinous the acts they're committing.

The truth is, the way things are being handled there are no different than they would be handled here.

So, I suppose when the Supreme Leader of Iran went on national television demanding that all protest cease and desist under threat of imprisonment is not really considered a government action? Please.

 

[harmony gardens]

We have the right to judge both. Repression is repression, no matter which government is doing the repressing.

 

[eric]

Amen, harmony gardens. However, the governments are the ones repressing, not us, and they are also the ones making the statements, not us.

However, I feel it was absolutely unnecessary for Obama to say anything short of, "We wish you guys luck in solving your own problems. Godspeed!" I really thought he was doing the right thing keeping quiet about it so as to maintain the softening of tensions between us and Iran.

And actually, Iran's Supreme Leader told Moussavi to cease and desist, not the protesters. As he claims the elections were untampered, why would he not plead with the reform leader promoting these protests to stop?

Now don't get me wrong, I don't support any form of political repression, and the thread isn't to discuss whether the Iranian government is right in doing what they're doing. I made the thread to bring to light the hypocrisy the American mainstream media is bringing to the table.