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| *During the in Washington D.C., Protest Warrior, along with ], ] and ] counter-protested those opposed to the war, and also demonstrated in support of the war and troops. | *During the in Washington D.C., Protest Warrior, along with ], ] and ] counter-protested those opposed to the war, and also demonstrated in support of the war and troops. | ||
| ==Future campaigns == | ==Current status, Future campaigns == | ||
| Kfir, the founder of Protest Warrior, was quoted: "We're going to be protesting ] more and more, and we'll probably get involved in the defense of marriage, too." in an interview he gave to the ] proponent Lee Duigon from the ] ]. | Kfir, the founder of Protest Warrior, was quoted: "We're going to be protesting ] more and more, and we'll probably get involved in the defense of marriage, too." in an interview he gave to the ] proponent Lee Duigon from the ] ]. Kfir claimed, on the Protest Warrior forum, almost two years after the article was published, that he had been misquoted.{{fact}} | ||
| However, discussion of future campaigns may be moot. The current status of the group has been called into speculation due its declining public presence. Regular news updates on the website ceased in late 2004, followed by the sudden closure of the discussion forums several months later. As of November 12, 2006, the entire website itself is unreachable. Additionally, according to Google News, Protest Warrior has not been mentioned in any of 4,500 news sources during the months of October and November 2006. This is despite a run-up to a very contentious mid-term election and increasing debate about the war in Iraq, with frequent public demonstrations from both sides of the political spectrum. | |||
| Kfir claimed, on the Protest Warrior forum, almost two years after the article was published, that he had been misquoted. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 20:47, 12 November 2006
Protest Warrior is a Conservative political activist protest group. It is an international organization with mostly American members; its main focus is on the U.S. and Israel. The group was formed in 2003 by Alan Lipton and Kfir Alfia in Austin, Texas. Its slogan is "Fighting the left... doing it right".
The group's website is also named "Protest Warrior".
History
Protest Warrior was founded by Kfir Alfia and Alan Lipton following an anti-war protest in San Francisco on February 16, 2003. Alfia, Lipton and two other friends crashed the protest carrying signs. Alfia's sign showed a woman in a burqa tied to a pole with a leash around her neck, and was captioned "Protect Islamic Property Rights Against Western Imperialism. Say No To War!" Lipton's sign said, "Saddam Only Kills His Own People. It's None Of Our Business."
Motivation
Protest Warrior believes that liberal politics constitute a threat to the future of freedom and individualism, and would inevitably result in totalitarian police states. Seeing "liberals" (in the U.S. usage of the term) as "morally and politically bankrupt" and having a monopoly of media attention, Protest Warrior believes that voices of the left "are heard disproportionately, demoralizing our troops, and emboldening dictators around the world."
Generally accepted ideas in the Protest Warrior community include support for the War on Terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and opposition to Islamic fundamentalism as dangerous and oppressive. A newsletter on the site published by Alan and Kfir expressed objection to Islam itself, rather than fundamentalists in particular:
- "What's becoming clear is how the religion of Islam is addicted to war and mayhem. Not a radical minority, not a rogue sect, but its very essence is about submission and sacrifice and proving your worth by worshiping death in this life to gain a paradise of orgies and drunkenness. Their entire history is of warfare, and any accomplishments of their so-called Golden Age has been proven to be merely parasitic off the cultures they've conquered and reduced to dhimmi servitude. That every country under sharia is corrupt, belligerent, desolate and barbaric obviously gives them no pause, except to constantly drive them into further psychotic rage as they refuse to ever accept any responsibility for their conditions. They are akin to the powers in Orwell's 1984; there must always be an enemy. It's no surprise that women are treated like property in these countries as that's the only way Muslim men can feed their egos, to dominate others rather than ever actually produce something."
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Most members also express opposition to illegal immigration and current immigration proposals of the Bush administration, support for free enterprise and fiscally conservative economics, general support and respect for U.S. military institutions as defenders of freedom, and support for Israel.
Methodology
The group's primary method of activism is crashing liberal events, chiefly anti-war protest marches, and counter-demonstrating within their ranks. For instance, Protest Warriors have attended rallies against Halliburton, Caterpillar Inc., Israel, and U.S. President George W. Bush, displaying support for these causes. When doing so, the Protest Warriors carry large signs often designed to appear similar to those held by the participants of the event they are crashing, enabling them to mingle until observers are close enough to read their signs' sarcastic fine-print.
Examples of Protest Warrior Signs:
- "Saddam only kills his own people. It's none of our business!"
- "Except for ending slavery, Fascism, Nazism and Communism, war has never solved anything!"
- "Islam - Religion of Peace" accompanied with pictures of (presumably) Muslim children holding weapons and the World Trade Center under attack.
- "Black Children Belong in Black Schools - Say No To Vouchers"
After large operations, videos are posted documenting the events. The videos include confrontations with other protesters and the reactions of those protesters. Protest Warriors claim that these videos demonstrate that liberals' "true feelings and agendas...have nothing to with hating war, and everything to do with hating America."
Reactions
Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh featured a Protest Warrior action in San Francisco on his website and complimented the group on its work.
Criticism
Protest Warrior has been a target of criticism on many liberal web sites and forums such as Indymedia.
Website
The group maintains a website as an organizing and information hub. It also acts as a source for the many slogans and signs presented by Protest Warriors at protests, as well as offering a sign creation tutorial to registered members. The website also includes an online shop. The website also featured numerous forums, but they were shut down without explanation on September 13, 2006.
Past operations
Local and National chapters of Protest Warrior have carried out operations in the United States and abroad. Examples of past Protest Warrior operations include:
- On January 20, 2005, "Operation Hail to the Chief" drew thirteen Protest Warriors to Washington D.C. to oppose those protesting the second inauguration of President George W. Bush.
- During the 2004 Republican National Convention, a group of Protest Warriors staged a counterprotest, "Operation Liberty Rising".
- On August 27, 2005, a group of three Protest Warriors led by co-founder Kfir Alfia was the target of animosity at a conservative counter-Cindy Sheehan rally in Crawford, Texas. Despite the Protest Warriors' assurances that they were on the same side, the conservative protesters repeatedly shouted at them, destroyed the Protest Warrior signs, and forced the Protest Warriors to leave the rally, mistaking them for anti-war protesters.
- During the Sept. 24, 2005 Anti-War Protests in Washington D.C., Protest Warrior, along with Move America Forward, RightMarch and Free Republic counter-protested those opposed to the war, and also demonstrated in support of the war and troops.
Current status, Future campaigns
Kfir, the founder of Protest Warrior, was quoted: "We're going to be protesting abortion more and more, and we'll probably get involved in the defense of marriage, too." in an interview he gave to the Dominionism proponent Lee Duigon from the Christian Reconstructionist Chalcedon Foundation. Kfir claimed, on the Protest Warrior forum, almost two years after the article was published, that he had been misquoted.
However, discussion of future campaigns may be moot. The current status of the group has been called into speculation due its declining public presence. Regular news updates on the website ceased in late 2004, followed by the sudden closure of the discussion forums several months later. As of November 12, 2006, the entire website itself is unreachable. Additionally, according to Google News, Protest Warrior has not been mentioned in any of 4,500 news sources during the months of October and November 2006. This is despite a run-up to a very contentious mid-term election and increasing debate about the war in Iraq, with frequent public demonstrations from both sides of the political spectrum.
See also
External links
- Official Protest Warrior Site
- MSNBC: "Partisan Protesters" Newsweek, 2004-08-13
- Washington Times: "Protest Warriors fuel rage on left" The Washington Times, 2004-08-24
- Protesting The Protesters, The Washington Post, 2005-01-20
- Right and Right "Salt Lake City Weekly" 2004-08-19