Protests: 5 reasons why experts say we should be wary of the 'outside agitator' narrative [View all]
By Harmeet Kaur, CNN
Updated 9:46 AM ET, Thu June 4, 2020
As protests over police brutality and systemic racism sweep the nation, authorities have partly blamed incidents of property destruction and violence on people they deem 'outside agitators.'....
The narrative of the 'outside agitator' has long been used to undermine protest movements in the United States.... Here's why experts say we should be wary of that narrative....
- It's been used to discredit protests
...data has shown claims about outsiders playing a significant role in demonstrations are unproven. In reality, most of the people leading and participating in demonstrations are from oppressed communities...
- It distracts from the underlying causes
...Emphasizing the destruction of property and the role of outsiders in demonstrations distracts from the issues that prompted people to take to the streets...
- It ignores the fact that movements are connected
..casting suspicion on all protesters from out of town ignores the way that social change movements work...
- It's used to justify violence against protesters
...When you can de-legitimize authentic expressions of discontent, then you can mobilize violent force against them...
- It prevents the movement from growing
...focusing attention on property destruction and casting demonstrations as being corrupted by outside agitators can turn away people who might otherwise be supportive. The outside agitator narrative has been used to deter sympathy for past movements...
More at link:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/04/us/outside-agitator-label-history-trnd/index.html
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