Still troubled...

This Scott Parkin thing just won't leave me alone. It troubles me severely. Today I watched Insight (ABC) and Kim Beazely (who was briefed by ASIO) virtually validated the media reports about why Parkin was deported. i.e. that he was advocating violence at protests e.g. throwing marbles under police horses in order to get them to fall.

This bothers me in two ways:

[1] If that was the reason, why could ASIO not have made that claim openly and allowed Parkin to defend that charge?

[2] If Parkin did advocate violence, then my trust in the nonviolence movement would be severely shaken.

From my own experience at the National Nonviolence Gathering which I attended in April, I have to say that there were individuals there who (in principle) condoned violence as a valid form of political action. This bothered me then, and it still bothers me now.

I think there are people in the nonviolence movement who condone provocation, sabotage, vandalism, and violent retaliation as acceptable methods, either because for them the end justifies the means, or that if they receive violence that they are are entitled to return it. This bothers me hugely. And I don't think the nonviolence movement, as a movement, does enough to clearly distance and disassociate itself from protestors and activists who do advocate and employ these methods. I think there are double standards and it makes me want to withdraw from the movement. Since I have only ever been on the very periphery of it, I doubt the movement will be bothered by this.

I'm sick of seeing protests with which I sympathise strongly, hijacked and marred by various forms of violent or destructive behaviour. I think it's extremely counter-productive and I cannot in any way be associated with it.

Grrrrrrrr...
.