Two protesting wrongs don’t make a right

By Letter to the Editor on August 30, 2017.

I am not sure if all this confusion and infighting regarding protesters was started by Donald Trump not clearly denouncing both far right and far left in Charlottesville but it certainly has created a storm, even in the Medicine Hat News (Friday, Aug. 25 Comments page).

We have one letter criticizing editorial writer Tim Kalinowski and our own elected MLA Bob Wanner denouncing hate mongers. It is sad that these hatemongers get so much publicity. It really is quite simple. When denouncing hate mongers it has to be equally clear that both sides are guilty, the far right (white supremacists, et al) and the far left (Antifa et al). If you want to protest there is nothing wrong with that, but it has to be peaceful and respectful.

The banners carried and the messages on them may be painful to see but they are just printed words. Counter protest by lobbying the government to denounce hatemongers on both sides, but keep it peaceful and respectful. Why turn up to a rally knowing full well it would end in violence? If POTUS or any elected official wants to address the far right or left, well in my opinion it does his/their credibility absolutely no good.

Mr. Wanner made the same mistake as POTUS in his op/ed denouncing hate mongers, but only by referring to the far right (white supremacists/KKK et al) stating they are Nazis. No mention of the far left organizations which equally promote and will use tactics to create incidents. This denouncing of only one side only means the opposite side feels it has the moral high ground, the mistake POTUS made in Charlottesville. I have to support Tim Kalinowski that “frontier justice is not the answer.” Simply put, two wrongs do not make a right.

Finally it would help if governments would make hate speech legislation clear and direct.