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Comment by waihtis | Hacker News Reader

Good. These idiots are a net harm to the climate change cause. The only thing they have managed is accelerated resentment towards pro climate activities.

It is fully possible I have a naive interpretation of their goals and perhaps they're just looking for an excuse to be the biggest twats possible.

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> The only thing they have managed is accelerated resentment towards pro climate activities.

I'm not so sure about that. I see a fair number of people who got woken up to how serious things are by these protests as well. Before they saw this kind of thing on the news, it didn't strike them as particularly real. It's a "sign of the times" for them.

How have they expressed that? How has it changed their minds?

I'd be genuinely amazed at the personality of a person who goes "Wow! They must be disrupting my day for a very important reason. Let me look up and better research their cause," versus "Oh f**, I'm going to be late to my appointment. What's going on? Oh, these idiots are blocking the street."

If you're going to interrupt my life based on some future, uncertain scientific reasoning, especially the lives of everyday working-class people who can't afford to spend their day blocking streets instead of working, it would turn me off to your cause, and that's the only sentiment I've heard from my friends.

Maybe we're wrong for that, but I'm curious how others would respond.

I think there's plenty of people who are surprised that some people take the climate situation as seriously enough that they would organize and do this, especially when others chime in with "you should expect more of this, the coming decades will see a lot of things destabilize". I've not encountered much anti-activism sentiment, at most a "they have a point, but it's the wrong way to do it".

I've not seen anyone leave their gasoline engine on idle on their behalf to spite them.

It definitely would be better digested by the general population if their actions avoided targeting the working class, like they did recently with blocking private jets.

In Italy they threw paint at statues, damaging them because they thought "washable" paint would be easily cleaned with water. Whereas it's the kind that most thoroughly repels it. That's not the way to get random people's sympathy.

Even if their methods are counterproductive, no one deserves to be jailed for things the state thinks they might do.

Thoughtcrime and Minority Report-style policing is unjust and contrary to the principles of a free society.

It’s not exactly that. This group (as a whole, maybe not the specific people) committed to continue their actions and people from it released in the past were participating in blockades again. It’s definitely not a Minority Report-style prediction of what they could do based on affiliation, personality etc.

Besides, it’s not just blocking highways or streets. They blocked runways in airports too - imagine what could happen if a plane with failed engine could not land because of them.

So you’re happy that the state can arrest anyone for months because they dont like your speech?

Wild

Speech is not the same as blocking traffic. You have every right to your speech, but you don't have a right to force me to stay and listen to it.

So arrest them when they do that?

These people haven’t been charged with anything. It’s “preventative”.

Taking preventative action against known bad operators is morally the right option.

Charge them with the conspiracy to do a crime then?

But wait you can’t, cause that won’t actually hold up in any actual court.

“Bad operators” - they’re doing more for the climate than the rest of us are.

They're literally the "thoughts and prayers" of climate change except they're also disturbing the public and destroying property.

I don’t expect you to agree with their methods. I expect you to defend people’s right to freedom and a proper trial and judicial system.

See, thats the difference between you and me - you worship inflexible ideals even when they might destroy and corrupt the very thing they are supposed to protect, whilst I'm capable of seeing when something isn't working as intended and amendments are needed.

Obnoxious people have rights too.

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