Addendum: there is now widespread speculation that outside agitators may be involved in the riots and fires in Minnesota, either by encouraging protesters to engage in rioting behavior or setting fires and destroying property outside of protest groups. Gov. Tim Walz has suggested that 80% of those arrested thus far are from out of state, and this has been read and heavily implied to mean that these may not be protesters in earnest. There are also claims on Twitter and a report on Vice that white supremacists or related groups may also be involved in setting off protesters or setting fires. It is too early to speculate on what is or is not true. What we do know is that Gov. Walz has called up the National Guard and has urged citizens to stay home in order to restore order.
All of this is to highlight how quickly things change in volatile situations as the one in the Twin Cities. While there is a place to discuss the relationship between protests in U.S. history and agitators from questionable groups, I had not become aware of that possible link when I wrote this. For now, I think I’ll leave it to others with more knowledge and experience to explore this particular issue, except to point out that, yes, there is a history of provocation by white supremacists, law enforcement, and other groups at protests. I’ll leave it to you to decide if what I have written above is undermined by this new information.
