“The weapons [neocolonialism] is deploying to surveil, maim and mass murder Palestinians are supplied by the company that operates right here in our city. Elbit Systems, [neocolonialism’s] largest weapons dealer … supplies 85% of [its] drone fleet, along with land-based equipment, bullets, tear gas and internationally banned weapons [cluster and white phosphorus bombs]. Elbit weapons are being used to murder Palestinians right now. We will not let Elbit continue business as usual! . . .

“We will continue to take action to make it impossible for Elbit to operate in Cambridge until Elbit is gone. Shut Elbit Down!” (#ShutElbitDown on X)

  • @Rivalarrival
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    -518 months ago

    I can support picketing, and direct action against a specific target, but as soon as you blockade general traffic you’re on the wrong side of whatever issue you’re concerned about.

    • TWeaK
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      398 months ago

      “I support picketing, so long as I can easily ignore it.”

      • @Rivalarrival
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        -398 months ago

        Yes, exactly, and unironically.

        You’re attacking a company you disagree with. Then you shift your hostile attention to me, my friends, my family, my neighbors.

        Why the fuck do you think I would support you after you lump me in with your enemies?

        You are much better off with me ignoring you than you are with the kind of attention you’re going to get after you decide to target me.

        • SovereignState
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          398 months ago

          How very… “first-world problem” of you. Do you read what you say before you post it? This is selfish and myopic as shit.

          They are inconveniencing you. They are halting the manufacture of weapons being used to annihilate civilians. These two issues do not equate in the goddamn slightest.

          • @Rivalarrival
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            08 months ago

            Everyone in the area has been “annihilating civilians” for 80+ years. None of them wants to stop. They’ve had countless “peace” summits where everyone walks away angrier than they were when they showed up.

            Solomon attempted to mediate a debate between two mothers. Both claimed the child, he offered to split it, then awarded the kid to the woman willing to give up the child rather than kill it.

            How does that story end when neither side wants Solomon to stop?

            The only option with a possibility of actually ending the violence is to glass the whole fucking region, and that is not exactly a viable option.

        • TWeaK
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          8 months ago

          It takes more than a couple people chaining themselves to a building to actually enact change. It takes pressure from the general public as a whole. If the public ignore all the protests, then there is no pressure, and thus no change.

          Protesting isn’t supposed to be some nice thing. It’s people getting desperate because change needs to happen, because they have no other peaceful option other than to make noise and make a nuisance. If you don’t like the nuisance, then your best option is to push for the change they’re chasing - particularly if you generally agree with their cause.

          Protesting is literally what gave you all the rights you enjoy today, sat in your cosy chair chatting away on the internet.

          • @Rivalarrival
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            -368 months ago

            Do you really want people like me involved?

            Think really hard about that before you answer.

            • @Gracchibro1@lemmygrad.ml
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              268 months ago

              It is good if you are inconvenienced by a protest like this regardless. Causing inconvenience to as many people as possible is the point; your personal feelings are completely irrelevant and nobody here cares.

            • ReaZ
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              248 months ago

              Since you wrote here that you want the whole region to be nuked I think we’ll pass on your involvement.

              • @Rivalarrival
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                18 months ago

                Read a little closer. I said quite the opposite.

                The rest of the world keeps driving them to peace talks, and they all keep walking away. Nobody in the region actually wants peace. They all want to fight. Until that changes, the only way to end the violence is to make glass, and that solution is worse than the problem.

                Taking sides in this is exactly the wrong thing to do. The best option is to make popcorn, sell tickets, and take bets.

            • SUPAVILLAIN
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              208 months ago

              At this point, I kind of believe you’re the type of person to catch twenty years running over a protestor; so maybe you’re on the wrong board.

        • @GiantSpoonWielder@lemmygrad.ml
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          108 months ago

          Everybody, back off. We need to abandon our opposition to colonialism and genocide because internet tough guy doesn’t want to get stuck in traffic.

    • ikiru
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      318 months ago

      I can support freedom of speech, but as soon as you start talking I want you to shut the fuck up.

      • @Rivalarrival
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        08 months ago

        Stay the hell out of the road, and you won’t have to hear from me.