I’m not handwringing about the destruction of this building, and certainly not saying anything about the violence of the police (which is abominable). Destroy the Louis Vuitton shops, the big chains, etc. Burn down a building like this, and it becomes a martyr for the right wing. I know these people personally, I know what they are saying and what they are spreading, and how even “moderates” are reposting their shit and agreeing about those lazy unemployed immigrants, who hate our European culture and way of life. I am saying that we need to be smarter and see how this is propping up the fucking right wing, the opposite of what we need. We can take a step back and say “ok this was too far”, even if we support the general riots. We must be able to be rational about things, it’s a fact this is being used against the left, against immigrants.
I’m pretty privileged, and yet I probably been to more protests in my life and contributed continuously to more local community initiatives than the average person, perhaps even you. I also was able to change people’s minds, people who thought the police was always right, for instance. And let me tell you, it wasn’t by insulting those people outright.