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Comment by blisseyGo | Hacker News Reader

Here's one example where the dude who got arrested has a helmet on. Why's that needed in peaceful protests? Also note the thing he has on his left side. That's an attachment to break car windows:

https://twitter.com/greg_doucette/status/1283452585945583618

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https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/06/19/pol...

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/17/police-targeting-street-...

If you are protesting the police, you should have every possible form of armour on that you have access to, even if you are protesting peacefully.

If we're going to continue the chain of speculation without providing additional evidence...

> the dude who got arrested has a helmet on. Why's that needed in peaceful protests?

Same reason why people wear helmets when riding a bike: even if they're not intending on smashing their head, accidents happen, so it's better to be protected. Protests do occasionally turn violent, so that's not too unreasonable. Also keep in mind there are protesters that open carry assault rifles, so in comparison a helmet us relatively tame.

>That's an attachment to break car windows:

It looks like a black stick to me? What's it supposed to be?

You are being dishonest on purpose if you think wearing a helmet and dressed up as Antifa is peaceful protesting.

What does Antifa wear? How do you feel about people that open carry at protests?

Maybe he's worried the peaceful protest will get less peaceful. There could be agitators sneaking into the crowd to stir things up. Counter protests by people with firearms. Cops shooting protesters with rubber bullets. Those all seem like plausible scenarios to me.

I couldn't identify what he had on his left side from that video. How did you come to the conclusion it was meant to break windows?

Uh, the thugs doing the kidnapping also have helmets on so that indicates nothing whatsoever. And the only "thing" I can see looks like a regular carabiner.

thugs? They have "POLICE" on their chest.

So can anybody with two minutes and a clothes iron. Actual police announce themselves, state their intentions, follow deliberate procedures, create public reports, answer to bystanders, and generally work to uphold law and order with everybody else. Regardless of how they got the costumes, the aggressors in that video are violent criminals.

They don't just have police badges, they also have patches on their shoulders which is for DHS. This was reported couple days ago that DHS will be coming in to stop the rioting:

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/07/16/acting-secretary-wolf-co...

Media's claim that they are "unidentified" is simply false.

Two patches?! Okay then, three minutes since the iron is already warm. The substantive argument is about the complete lack of process and accountability.

Since you seem to be here to reflexively argue, the only thing I have left to say is that you need to realize that the federal government deploying soldiers into American cities against the express wishes of the local governments is utterly anti-Freedom, anti-American, and straight up totalitarian. We're witnessing the destruction of our country, and you're cheerleading to the tune of Party propaganda. It's never too late to snap out of that filter bubble and come to your senses.

You are just being thick on purpose. DHS was deployed because the federal buildings have been getting destroyed. If the local government doesn't want to do it, then the feds have to protect their property. You need to stop believing the media propaganda and think what you would do if your building is getting destroyed.

A number of peaceful protesters have been injured by rubber bullets, so it makes sense to wear a helmet.

there's a kid in texas who got a beanbag round embedded in his skull so i'd say helmets are probably a good idea when you've got cops firing less-lethal munitions into crowds

There have been three or four of them in total. I believe this is the one you're talking about though.

https://www.kut.org/post/chief-manley-says-black-man-critica...

And that's the video were the whole incident seems suspicious - see my comment. An undercover op would logically have equipment for stirring up trouble / doing damage if part of his remit was to be a "fifth columnist". Yeah, that is how much I trust American authorities in general, especially the right wing nutjobs taking over now.

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