Syracuse The US is not the only country that believes demonizing their opposition, along with blocking speech and assembly, by labeling them as terrorists in order to get away with almost anything. In the divisiveness worldwide over the conduct of Israel’s devastation of Gaza and killing of over 60,000, the United Kingdom labeled a group called Palestine Action as a terrorist outfit. Their crime had been to sneak onto an airfield and damage a couple planes in trying to send a message that Britain should not be armaments to Israel. We could argue about whether these activists crossed the line or were tactically shrewd, but, terrorists? Really, no way!
That’s not really the point I wanted to make. What interested me as much was the demographics of the protestors against what The Economist called “a silly law.” When the bobbies busted the bunch, “Fifteen 80-somethings were carried away by the Metropolitan Police, compared with only six teenagers. By day’s end 532 people had been arrested, half of whom were over 60 years old.” Now, tell me that’s not fascinating. The Economist thinks that makes Britain an outlier for Europe, but I’m not sure that isn’t true across the Atlantic as well.
Judging from Facebook and occasional emails, many of my old comrades-in-arms, now retired, are not simply active, but are now activists. They are regulars in canvassing for progressive politicians during election season. I see them carry signs and marching in the No Kings affair, in anti-ICE demonstrations, and certainly they can be counted in the crowd anytime
Trump comes near their towns.
The conservative Economist still thinks the sun never sets on Britannia, so might miss this given their hyper-focus on their islands. They note that the average age of the so-called “young” who joined the Jeremy Corbyn surge in his heyday running up to heading the Labour Party, that the “average age of new joiners was 51.” They zing boomers who “are able to live with the consequences” of protests on careers and a more limited future. They even try to argue that “Boomer impunity can result in more extreme actions” claiming they “made up a surprisingly large share of last summer’s riots, when mobs gathered outside hotels of asylum-seekers.”
This kind of invective in some cases seems like a remnant of the cultural and political wars of the 60s. Are these opinions embedded in regrets about long hair, Vietnam, and rock-and-roll? Bringing up the conservative anti-immigrant boomer rioters against asylum-seekers might just be a head fake to move us off the scent.
My take is different of course. Why don’t we see even more boomer actions in the USA? Boomers may not be able to claim to be the “greatest generation,” but certainly have a claim to being one of the most activist. Too many may be too frail to riot, but surely are still in good enough shape to stand up and be counted, and block evil as it moves forward near them? If boomers can no longer lead, surely boomers, like those in the UK, can come together in mass to follow.