Protesting Rosalynn Carter's memorial is a curious choice, given her husband's historical stance on the subject of Israel/Palestine. https://t.co/ucH1D2wL6e pic.twitter.com/FiAwMzlrqt
— Magdi Jacobs (@magi_jay) November 28, 2023
Just a few quick things. First off, it doesn't appear to me that anybody is protesting the Carters themselves, so Jimmy's policies aren't really at issue (although what they're demanding is definitely aligned with what he stands for).
That said, I will note that we often do, in fact, "protest" (it's kind of a loaded word, so maybe 'demonstrate' is more apt in context) even our own allies as we're trying to push a particular issue to the fore, trying to create the space for them to do the right thing. And, of course, it's better to "protest" where folks are present to receive the message. Lotta elites in attendance today, and even the ones out of government retain some influence, so they are all part of the target audience.
Demonstrative funerals are also a thing (this isn't really that, just thought I'd mention it because death itself is often political). To repeat: you go where the spotlight is for such actions.
Only problem I see is that we once again focus on a tactical issue while bombs are falling, and we don't generally have protests during quieter times for things like a Department of Peacebuilding, which could enable longer-term strategic approaches to mitigating conflict in non-violent ways. Poor Representative Barbara Lee keeps introducing bills to create one; I know you don't necessarily want to dilute your demand(s), but I wish more demonstrations/activists would broaden the ask and support her efforts instead of lurching from crisis to crisis.
Selah.
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.