I wrote my dissertation on the 1968 uprising in DC after Martin Luther King’s assassination.

As many are pointing out, there are many tactics being used to discredit protestors by commentators and politicians.

Here’s part of the ugly history behind these tactics.

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Many, including the president and Attorney General Barr, have already claimed that the uprisings across the country are organized by “outsiders” or a conspiracy. This is a long-standing tactic. 2/

In ‘68, many politicians and journalists claimed Black Power activist Stokely Carmichael got orders directly from Castro’s communist Cuba. The Department of Justice even investigated. 3/

Politicians love this tactic because it’s easier to claim they "solved" the issue by going after a few people they label as responsible instead of actually addressing the systemic problems people are demanding change about. 4/

To many, it's easier to think the anger erupting around the country right now is because of a few extremists and not a sentiment shared by the masses. 5/

The second tactic to discredit the protests is to say they actually aren’t political at all--they’re people who just wanted to loot because they’re criminals. 7/

In ‘68, countless people claimed the uprisings across the country had “nothing to do” with King’s assassination or race. They said it was all nonpolitical and just criminals and kids who suddenly had an excuse to be lawless. 8/

This is convenient because it blunts the political message of the ongoing demonstrations. It allows people to ignore the institutionalized violence and racism at the heart of the uprisings. 9/

The next strategy to discredit the uprisings is to say the demonstrators are hurting their own agenda (or neighborhoods) by using violence. Just like today, many in 1968 claimed the protestors were “discrediting King’s legacy.” 10/

This is a tactic loved equally by conservatives and liberals. It allows them to claim they care about racism and inequality and FOR THAT REASON people should not engage in any violence. They praise the values of peaceful protest. 11/

This once again just criticizes those protesting and displaces what the focus should be: the anger at institutional racism, the demands made by the demonstrators, and the need to hold the police and leaders accountable. 12/