Yes but how do you know if the people causing property damage are protesters or anti protestors?That was the crux of my last comment. Nobody likes when protesters are violent so showing up to a protest and starting violence is an easy way to shut it down.
We saw evidence during the BLM protests that violence was being started by police by both beating on peaceful protesters and using agent-provocateurs. The most famous example was the hooded man wearing police issued boots, who wasnt participating in the protest, knocking out the windows of a Target.
My point is that if violence and property destruction discredit a protest for you then the police have already won. They can turn any protest into violence and destruction if not by outright attacking peaceful protests, then by using an agent-provocateur.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.
You posted this comment in a community that didn’t exist before the protests. On day-1 of the protest this place was a ghost town. Today I have an active feed with dozens of posts per hour and hundreds of comments. This was the best possible outcome. If the entirety of reddit migrated at once then the fediverse would still be crawling or stalled completely. Its alpha software with a a fraction of the capacity reddit has. The threadiverse seed has been successfully planted, it just needs some time to grow.
Once the new season drops I think things will pick up.
Its only easy to call out anti-protesters if you’re well organized. When police attack peaceful protesters and launch tear gas into peaceful crowds, to force dispersion, people panic and act unpredictably.