Some marches are about pushing people down, not lifting them up

Most of the time, it’s important to disagree respectfully, and to give everyone a voice, even if their opinions are different from yours or make you uncomfortable. However, there is a limit to this, and white nationalists fall squarely outside that limit.

It’s not fair to say, “If black people can march for their race, why can’t white people?” or “If the left wing can hold protests, why can’t the alt-right?” These two things are not equivalent!

When Black Lives Matter marches, it’s because they want to not get shot at a routine traffic stop (not that there’s anything routine about the rate at which black drivers are stopped compared to white drivers). When LGBT groups march, it’s because they want to get married, display affection and use the bathroom. When women march, it’s because they want to not be sexually harassed and to have autonomy over their own medical decisions.

All of these different groups that fall under the “progressive” umbrella have something in common — wanting to live their lives with the same basic rights and dignity as their more privileged counterparts.

When white supremacists march — well, it’s right there in the name. They want to be on the top of the heap, and stay there by pushing others down. They want to take away the rights, health, happiness, and even the lives of people who are different.

This is not a difference of opinion. This is not a difference between left and right, or white and black. This is a difference between fighting to lift people up and fighting to push people down. It’s the difference between good and evil.

Not many issues in the world are clear-cut but this one is. Nazis and the KKK are terrorist groups who do not deserve a voice in our society. Marcie Wallace

Lethbridge