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Notes (cont’d): • The idea of BLM being hijacked by lefitst political groups bears similarity to both the US and HK administrations’ rhetoric of outside agitators, which labels radical protestors as opportunists with ulterior motives or backed by foreign forces. Using the ‘hijacked movement’ rhetoric to discredit all BLM protests seems to assume that protestors are a misguided and deluded mass who do not have the capacity and autonomy to protest on their own terms. This also resonates with Hong Kong’s 2019 Protests, when certain people see rightist figures from the US and Ukraine supporting and visiting Hong Kong and immediately claim that all protestors are backed by the CIA. Such rhetoric is not only untrue, but also completely erases the autonomy of protestors and paints everyone as a brainless bot. • Several responses to Q5 also mentioned looting. Most of these respondents opposed looting and violence but supported the cause:
‣ “[...] I think systematic racism is a horrible and unfair thing that has been hurting so many people for decades. Protestors are right to demand justice [...] However, I do not condone looting. I understand the frustration, but I disagree with the small number of radicals or opportunists who may be distracting the public from real issues and peaceful protests.” ‣ “I support the core values they are fighting for but do not agree with some of the looting or violence inflicted by a minority of protestors perhaps out of anger/mere opportunism. This is putting other innocent people at risk as well as jeopardising their cause inevitably to a certain extent by providing an opposing narrative for those who do not support them.”
