James Morrow opinion: LA riots using the plight of immigrants as an excuse to create chaos
The protests hitting LA are reminiscent of the Black Lives Matter movement five years ago. Back then, the immediate provocation was the death of George Floyd, but the real target was and remains the same, writes James Morrow.
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Get ready for the Summer of Love 2.0.
Back in 2020, the US was rocked by weeks upon weeks of Black Lives Matter protests and riots that started in May (almost five years ago exactly) and rolled on for the entire season.
The immediate provocation was the death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis, but the real target was Donald Trump who was then seeking re-election.
The threat of political violence hung in the air the entire year, with a clear message that if Trump was returned to office, there’d be trouble.
A week before the election in New York City, a clerk in a shoe store on a fancy Soho shopping strip, where every shop’s windows were boarded up, told me it was “in case the wrong guy won.”
The wrong guy, it did not need to be stated, was Trump.
And now, we are seeing it again in Los Angeles.
Protests have broken out against the city in response to Donald Trump’s push to fulfil his campaign promise to deport illegal migrants.
Rioters have taken to pelting cops and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with rocks and other projectiles, torching cars, and spreading chaos and violence, all while flying the flags of Mexico and other foreign nations.
A reasonable person might ask, ‘Why are protesters flying the flag of a country they don’t want to be sent to?’
They might also ask, are these protesters really fighting for their slice of the American dream, or are they by their actions suggesting that their real aim is to bring the chaos of their home countries to the US?
And then there is the big question, just who is behind all this?
Groups like the Party for Socialism and Liberation as well as other human rights “coalitions” have all been cited in reports as being involved in at least the initial demonstrations.
Other reports have suggested that the radical group Antifa, which was responsible for taking over several city blocks in Seattle in 2020 and trying to burn down a police station with the officers inside, also has a hand in what’s happening in LA.
Meanwhile, city and state officials including Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom have tried to shift the blame onto Trump.
It’s not the people burning cars and attacking law enforcement that are the problem, it’s Trump’s fault for threatening to call out the National Guard.
Which should tell you all you need to know: The plight of immigrant communities is just an excuse for a co-ordinated campaign to create chaos and put pressure on Trump.
Of course, in 2020, Trump did not call out the National Guard and the riots festered, causing billions in damage, destroying countless businesses, and leaving at least 20 dead.
If he is unable to shut these violent protests and riots down this time, America is in for a long hot summer.
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Originally published as James Morrow opinion: LA riots using the plight of immigrants as an excuse to create chaos
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