The very people who are supposed to promote tolerance among everyone often lash out at those who show support for beliefs and opinions that differ from their own.
Following the cancellation of the Republican health care vote, several areas across the United States participated in rallies on Saturday in a show of support for President Donald Trump. While certain places were met with resistance in the form of anti-Trump protestors, California escalated the events with violence.
Several people captured a brawl between what appeared to be one masked protestor dressed in black and and several Trump supporters. The incident took place on Huntington Beach during a ‘Make America Great Again’ rally. According to the reports, the anti-Trump protestor attacked a female Trump supporter with pepper spray. This caused several men to engage the assailant and defend the woman.
California is a notoriously liberal state, and it seems that violence is sure to ensue whenever there is a public gathering to show support for President Trump. The very people who are supposed to promote tolerance among everyone often lash out at those who show support for beliefs and opinions that differ from their own. There have been several instances where activists show up to pro-Trump events just to provoke a reaction or fight. Regardless of the topic, there are productive ways of having a discussion among those who disagree. Violence most certainly is not one.
In fact, many of these anti-Trump protestors give themselves horrible publicity and highlight how hostile politics can be. Things get taken to the extreme and instead of defusing the situation by simply walking away, there always has to be a performance of some type. Maybe these people think that causing a riot or incident, which the mainstream media will undoubtedly latch onto, will portray President Trump in a negative light. In reality, it only shows just how much intolerance there really is in the United States. It’s gotten to the point where those with conservative beliefs feel like they need to remain silent out of fear. They don’t want to be attacked or labeled as racist, as so often happens with the anti-Trump crowd. It’s become harder to agree to disagree without insults or incident. Instead, protestors have taken things to the extreme with violence and hatred.
While I support their right to freedom of speech, I don’t support violence in any form. Citizens in the United States are, hands-down, the luckiest in the world for a number of reasons. We have the freedom to disagree with the establishment without fear of reprisal. We are able to speak our minds. American women have every opportunity that is afforded to men. We don’t live in fear that our lives are being mapped out for us or that not following said plan could get us killed. It’s a shame that in America, women are being attacked for participating in a show of support for the President.
These moments of violent activism are the work of total cowards. Of course, I don’t expect those who hide their identity while expressing themselves to be among the honorable. What other purpose do masks serve other than to hide identities of criminals? It’s not like California is a state that will resist the ideologies these extreme protestors advocate.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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