The Demonstration

Maybe it is something about being in a different country that made the demonstration seem “soooo dangerous” to my friends/family. But honestly, the demonstration we attended hit pretty close to home with how Berkeley is. There were signs, speakers, lots of young adults, and people handing out fliers and pamphlets. There weren’t even any police officers. From my experience, here are some of the key differences I could gather:

• This demonstration had a more unified and coherent cause: antifascism. Berkeley protests get a little too messy, in my opinion. If you ask a random student there why they are protesting or what the protest is for, most won’t be able to give you a clear answer.
• The picket signs are better made.
• It doesn’t smell like a cornucopia of weed.
• Maybe it is just me, but I felt like there was a stronger urgency that pulsed through the demonstration. Maybe this goes along with the fact that there was a stronger, unifying cause. But sometimes protests at Berkeley seem too diluted, or idealistic.  You get the fire alarm-pulling and class-ditching behavior. We are still passionate and the issues are important, but we’re protesting from behind protective walls. Here, things are more serious.
• This demonstration ended in a concert! I’ve found that I really enjoy male Greek singing, there is some real talent going on over here.