Weblog
07/20/01 07:33 PM: Shooting a protester
So, I’m sure you have seen the news about the protester killed at the G8 summit in Genoa, Italy. If not, then you must be living under a rock. There are some interesting pictures circulating around.
Now, I most certainty do not condone the actions of the shooter. However, before everyone cries afoul on the Italian police officer who discharged his firearm, I think it is only fair to look at the situation. From the pictures, it looks as though the protester was preparing to throw a fire extinguisher at the police. I don’t know about you, but I would not react too favorably if I was about to get a rather large object thrown at me. Especially when that large object is rather hard and would have caused bodily harm to me in some manner. This is not to say that the police officer could have not killed the protester. But, quite frankly, I was not there and I don’t know what was going through the officer’s mind. I do not have police training and I have never been under the pressure that this officer must have been. I have no problems with protests but when it turns violent I do not believe that anything productive can be accomplished. Do not get me wrong, I am not running to the defense someone who decides to shoot a protester. It is a horrible thing to happen when someone dies in a situation like this but I cannot help but think if the protest stayed peaceful that it would not have happened. Has it gotten to the point where you have to have a violent protest just to get noticed?
