Trump does not require any justification for his behavior.
Trump needs a certain level of support from the general public. If he sends the army in face of peaceful protestors, he sets that support at risk. But if the news show videos of protestors looting and setting random stuff on fire, the audience is much more likely to believe his narrative and support his actions.
A riot is the language of the unheard.
When it comes to violence, I always try to take the perspective of my political opponents. I see myself as pretty left leaning but in a democracy I have to accept that there are also different opinions on how a society should work.
That does not mean that I see all right wing concepts and ideas as acceptable and if a conservative person wants to be respected by me, I expect them to also draw a line and distance themselves from the radical, far-right extremists. If a conservative person supports right wing violence, that’s an absolute no go for me.
But likewise, if I want my opinion to be respected by moderate conservatives, I have to distance myself from protest forms I don’t support. And if people randomly destroy foreign property that is not at all related to the protest, I just can’t get behind that. If I then keep protesting along such people, but condemn others when they just look away or go away from far-right extremists, as recommended here for a left-leaning protest, that’s double standards for me.
Trump needs a certain level of support from the general public. If he sends the army in face of peaceful protestors, he sets that support at risk. But if the news show videos of protestors looting and setting random stuff on fire, the audience is much more likely to believe his narrative and support his actions.
When it comes to violence, I always try to take the perspective of my political opponents. I see myself as pretty left leaning but in a democracy I have to accept that there are also different opinions on how a society should work.
That does not mean that I see all right wing concepts and ideas as acceptable and if a conservative person wants to be respected by me, I expect them to also draw a line and distance themselves from the radical, far-right extremists. If a conservative person supports right wing violence, that’s an absolute no go for me.
But likewise, if I want my opinion to be respected by moderate conservatives, I have to distance myself from protest forms I don’t support. And if people randomly destroy foreign property that is not at all related to the protest, I just can’t get behind that. If I then keep protesting along such people, but condemn others when they just look away or go away from far-right extremists, as recommended here for a left-leaning protest, that’s double standards for me.