In President Donald Trump’s first 13 days of office, millions of Americans flooded the streets in opposition to and in support of numerous issues, most notably the Women’s March, the March for Life, and immigrant ban protests. On campus, students widely praised the March for Life, while the other protests seem to have been met with skepticism.
As anti-Trump protests fill major cities across the country, remember that the the First Amendment protects the right to assemble peacefully in protest. Even if you don’t agree with those protesting, acknowledging the right to do so is an important part of free expression and a key part of the country’s political discourse.
We should differentiate between protests and riots and critically analyze their purported goals, but remember that the Constitution equally protects the protest you support and the one you oppose — as long as both are peaceful.
Thankfully, most protests are peaceful.
Conservatives are quick to point out violence at anti-Trump rallies and slow to remember violence that broke out within the right. In 2016, armed militia-members led by Ammon Bundy seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon to protest what they saw as government overreach.
Future protests could be commonplace if the first two weeks of Trump’s presidency are any indication. While protesters won’t be able to maintain the same fevered pitch for the next four years, Trump’s policies will certainly motivate them to act the same way Obama’s policies gave rise to the Tea Party movement on the right.
And, in some cases, money from special interest groups like Green Peace, who paid people to protest the Keystone pipeline in North Dakota, will sow the seeds of discord.
As we watch these protests over the next four years, we shouldn’t just mock the act of protesting and comment that those involved should get a job. Peaceful protests are a part of America’s political discourse — let’s engage one another on the substance.