Peaceful protest evokes aggressive response

Melissa Glen
Oct 3, 2016
Oct 3, 2016 Updated May 12, 2020
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2 min to read

A national movement hit close to home Saturday, as I watched several of my fellow Pirates become the target of unnecessary vicious words and actions.

A few of the Marching Pirates took a knee during the national anthem before the football game to protest what they see as police brutality and racial injustice.

Regardless of my own personal views on the issue, it is their right. This means that of course it is only fair people have the right to disagree with their action and voice this opposition.

While it is my belief wholeheartedly that people should engage in civil discourse and form their own opinions about the movement, I am disgusted some people’s first instincts were to turn to violence and aggressive language.

Booing is fine, writing an angry Tweet or Facebook status is fine, openly disagreeing is fine. These are all rights that people have. These actions I saw and respected.

Throwing bottles at these band members or spitting at them however, is not fine. Violence is not the answer and only reduces the credibility of the argument someone is making.

These people were saying that by kneeling during the national anthem, the students were disrespecting the soldiers fighting for our freedom. Freedom is not the only right these soldiers are risking their lives for though. These soldiers are also putting their lives on the line for the promise of peace.

With that said, all of the people who claimed to be representing these soldiers by protesting these students in a non-peaceful way were also disrespecting everything the military stands for in America.

After I got home from the football game, I scrolled through WNCT’s Facebook page and what I saw was appalling. People were going to the extreme, saying these students should be kicked out of school or should have any financial aid they are getting taken away all for exercising their own right.

I am not disregarding the notion that their actions may have disrespected people who have family in the military and have lost people to war, but I am just trying to make these people see the reason their emotions may be overshadowing.

These students disrespected these fans, but these students were also disrespected by the people who felt it was necessary to boo, assault or belittle them. So, if disrespecting is enough cause to kick someone out of school, hurt them financially or physically, the protestors are not the only ones who demand consequences, according to some people’s delusional sense of logic.

“BLM & BP is a terrorist group! They are going to have to change their name to get any respect from anybody in their right mind, and they need to be treated as such. Wipe them from the earth,” said one facebook commenter.

Wipe them from the earth...well, that is drastic. Maybe I am wrong, but I thought the definition of terrorism clearly states a group must use violence or force to serve their agenda. These people were just kneeling. They did not harm anyone.

If we as a country start taking away people’s right protest their issues with the country we start to fall away from the democracy the people before us worked so hard to build. We start taking away peaceful free will.

“Good they needs all of that hell throw the bottles harder next time let them know how we feel about kneeling. Hit them hard,” said another Facebook user.

Wrong. Using violence will not effectively show your side of the argument. Not only does this post show society’s disregard of using correct grammar, but it also shows these people’s love of hate and intolerance.

To the people who kneeled, I respect you. To the people who openly supported or opposed this decision in a peaceful way, I also respect you. However, to the people who tried to add more fire to the fight, look in the mirror and think long and hard if what you are doing is right.