So much for those "peaceful" protesters

I'm sure most of my readers are aware of demonstrations in South Dakota against a proposed oil pipeline. It seems that some of the protesters aren't as 'peaceful' as they make themselves out to be.

As a journalist, I decided it was time for some tough questions. Most of the protesters were from out of state. So how did they square the circle of using vehicles driven by oil to protest an oil pipeline? Their tents were also made of plastic — an oil-based product. Was that not hypocritical, I asked? Some denied this, others complained capitalism made them do it, and others just walked away.

But by the fourth interview the mood turned.

A young man claiming to be “security” came up and grabbed my microphone. I wouldn’t let go. He dragged me across the field — just for asking questions.

But worse was to follow, as my crew and I fled to our car.

When we tried to drive off, we were surrounded by cars and people. Two trucks blocked our way forward, and another pulled up tight behind. We couldn’t move. These weren’t grandmothers burning sage. They were angry, young masked men banging on the windows — threatening to slash our tires, demanding we exit the vehicle. Some warned that if we didn’t get out and hand over our footage then “we can’t control what’s gonna happen next.”

As we tried to call the police, they warned that the cops wouldn’t come onto the campsite — they hadn’t yet after two months of protests. I’m an Irish nationalist who grew up under British rule in Ireland, but according to those attacking my car I was “part of the problem with my settler mentality.”

Then they started shaking the car. That was when it became really scary. We were in the middle of North Dakota with very poor cellphone service and trying to call 911 was proving difficult.

Eventually, the police arrived. Speaking afterwards at a press conference the police lieutenant explained there were just a dozen police against up to 40 attackers. A SWAT team had been alerted, but they were still on their way.

Finally, after six requests on a police loudspeaker and warnings they would be charged with kidnapping, the protesters removed the vehicles blocking our path, opened the gates and allowed us to leave.

Don’t listen to reports that this is some kind of touchy-feely sage-sniffing lovefest. These were thugs who hated journalists asking tough questions.

There's more at the link.

This is the same thing we're seeing with 'Black Lives Matter' protests. The professionals are taking over, using any and every grievance they can get their hands on and turning it into a far-left-wing, ultra-progressive, Marxist/Leninist/Maoist onslaught against the roots of the society in which we live. Their version of 'peace' is that everyone agrees with them. If you don't, if you ask awkward questions and try to bring facts into the discussion, then they become a whole lot less peaceful.

I'd like to see them try that in this part of the world. (One of them did, some years ago, and ran into Lawdog. He learned the hard way that things are different here.)