When 'Protest' Becomes 'Insurgency' - A Language Lesson from Power
📰 THE STORY: Mainstream outlets are amplifying politicians in Minnesota who label protests an 'insurgency,' suggesting a grave threat to the state requiring extreme measures, potentially including federal intervention or increased militarization of law enforcement. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This framing mirrors the rhetoric used against the Black Panthers in the late
1960s, labelled a 'threat to national security,' leading to the FBI's COINTELPRO operations which systematically surveilled, infiltrated, and assassinated leaders like Fred Hampton in 1969. It also echoes the 'urban insurgency' language used by the US government to describe uprisings in the Dominican Republic in 1965, leading to US military intervention. Double Standard: The same media that uses
'insurgency' for property damage in Minnesota often frames violent coups abroad, like the 2019 lithium coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia, as 'popular uprisings' or 'democratic transitions,' despite clear evidence of external support. Similarly, heavily armed, ideologically extremist groups protesting COVID measures or election results on January 6th, 2021, were more often called 'patriots' or
'protesters' by the same political class now invoking 'insurgency' for civil rights demonstrations. Follow the Money: The police foundations, private security firms, and military contractors profit handsomely from increased 'insurgency' threat levels. Consider how police unions spend millions in local elections—for example, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) PAC spends