Red scarves against yellow vests in France or White Supremacists against Liberals in the United States. These are two current examples of a pattern that is repeated throughout history.
When the authoritarian power feels so threatened that it thinks its police will no longer be enough, it mobilizes part of its population in a reactionary group to terrorize the rebels. History also tells us that the success of rebels is infrequent, but strongly supported by the following actions:
Do not minimize the importance of the emergence of reactionary groups
Never tolerate their anti-democratic language elements
Aim for a short action, lasting a few months, aimed at the economic interests of the financiers of power
Systematically denounce the faults of the regime and their militia. Reactionaries will be divided and will have more difficulty convincing themselves that they are defending a just cause
Aim for a democratic and anti-corruption objective. The prospect of an unlocked national market may lead other countries to abandon authoritarian government or even to propaganda for rebels
In August 1921, the police, the army and strikebreakers (yellow) assaulted the 10,000 red scarves (redneck) who denounced their horrible working conditions in the coal mines: https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataille_de_Blair_Mountain
We are proud to be ‘rednecks’. It’s time to reclaim that term – The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/14/redneck-pride-west-virginia-protests-strikes?CMP=share_btn_tw
December 2018, Emmanuel Macron, or his supporters, launched the red scarf movement to counter yellow vests: https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2018/12/29/une-marche-de-soutien-a-macron-prevue-a-paris-le-27-janvier_a_23629212/
In 2014, reds supporting the Thai government also massacred citizens in yellow: https://www.rtl.fr/actu/international/thailande-bilan-des-violences-a-bangkok-porte-a-deux-morts-et-45-blesses-7767489886
In the colour revolutions are also included the use of symbols (umbrellas in Hong Kong, grapes in Moldova, tulips in Kyrgyzstan etc.) History shows that almost all the time it ended in the blood of the rebels or by the betrayal of their representatives who joined a coalition of “national salvation”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_revolution
The civil conflicts in Ukraine and Yugoslavia ended with deals following NATO’s intervention:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Ukrainian_revolution#21_February
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Agreement
The conflict is already well advanced in the US (rebels known as “Liberals” and pro-Trump “White Supremacists”). Liberals are statistically punished more harshly for their protests and have less ease of use of weapons. : https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-charlottesville-arrests-white-supremacy_us_5bbcaf13e4b028e1fe41b345
The current approach tends to intensify the fight against the “White Supremacists”: https://www.sapiens.org/culture/charlottesville-violence-lessons/
To be successful, pro-democracy activists must take into account the learning capacities of authoritarian states and be constantly innovative in their strategic choices.
The researchers present a long list of factors that led to the overthrow of authoritarian regimes in Serbia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine. The success of the colour revolution is determined by the existence of factors such as:
Exploiting divisions between the coercive forces of the regime
Bring together dissatisfied business people who were willing and able to provide financial, logistical and media support to the opposition
Have a pro-democracy capital
Make the ruling elites unpopular
Engaging youth
Initiate a foreign intervention
University of Fribourg (CH): http://commonweb.unifr.ch/artsdean/pub/gestens/f/as/files/4760/42821_182433.pdf
Yet another study to show that successful colour revolutions have been actively supported by foreign countries or NATO-type alliances because they can benefit economically from the democratization of the country to place their economic champions. Example: Japan finances the ILO because it contributes to improving working conditions in China and thus increasing the prices of their direct competitor: https://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-institutions_government/colour_revolutions_3196.jsp
A very comprehensive study of the University of Denver on a global scale. “Exploiting their divisions using Shame is the most effective mean to stop armed pro-government groups”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nka8OZnPWOU
Their website dedicated to the use of rebels around the world: https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/
Petition to the UN for the Popular Initiative Referendum in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 16 “Peace, justice and strong institutions” (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg16), for the referendum on the Citizenship Initiative: sign here: http://chng.it/TXCknMhm via Change and pass on to your friends 🙂
Use DeepL to translate when necessary
L’ONU interdit à la France l’usage des grenades et lanceurs de balles car cette violence d’Etat dissuade les gens de manifester pacifiquement.
Rights of ‘gilets jaunes’ protesters in France, ‘disproportionately curtailed’, say UN independent experts | UN News : https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1032741
