Can someone please calmly explain how blocking a freeway across an ocean and a country on a different continent, is supposed to have any effect on a political issue in the middle east?
Can someone please calmly explain how blocking a freeway across an ocean and a country on a different continent, is supposed to have any effect on a political issue in the middle east?
In a society where a huge portion of us are on the cusp of homelessness any threat to your livelihood seems like a threat on your life. I dont agree with it but I totally understand why some people run these protesters over. Last time I heard about one of these they were blocking a mother trying to get her kid to an ER in London. There is an older video of a guy begging them to move so he doesn’t lose his job and go back to prison (part of his parole). Threatening peoples livelihoods to make them agree with your politics sounds a lot like terrorism and I absolutely hate these kinds of protests. They could at least leave one lane open so people are slowed and see your message still but they dont. Also how privileged are these people that they can do this and dont have to go work instead? Must be really nice to have enough that you dont have to worry about making rent this month or feeding your children
It absolutely does.
I hope these protesters are jailed, because this nonsense is a violation of a whole host of social norms, and we have laws against it for good reason. I don’t think they would be charged with terrorism though unless they threaten to keep doing it to make a political point. But jail time should absolutely be on the table.
That said, I agree that Palestine should be independent. However, this stunt does not make me sympathetic to their cause, and I’ll ignore their entire platform and make my own decisions. If they protested in front of symbolic institutions (say, the capitol in Olympia, or at Seattle Center in front of the Space Needle), I would be more sympathetic. But screw these people and I hope they get what’s coming to them.
That said, this could be a good time to discuss mass transit. If transit were better in the region, this wouldn’t be nearly as impactful. Seattle doesn’t have many good options to get to and through the city, so moving as much traffic off it as possible has a ton of value.
Paid and unpaid time off are a thing.