Anarchists: Fifth column of the power elite?

[TechBear_Seattle]

I watched some clips from St. Paul this morning, which showed masked "anarchists" smashing windows, beating on cars, overturning trashcans and generally wreaking havoc. What purpose does this serve, except to give the fascists in power a group they can point to and say, "See why we must curtail liberties? See why we must stay in power and protect you?"

So my question: Are anarchists a fifth column of the power elite and, if so, do the anarchists realize that they are being used as the poster children for why a totalitarian state is necessary for public safety?

Added I am fully aware that the anarchists represent a very small portion of those protesting at the RNC, and that most protesters are acting peaceably and within the boundaries of (just) laws. :hi:

[ixion]

1. Other: They're not really anarchists

Anarchy is an intellectual movement, not a violent one. See Michael Bakunin, the Father of Anarchy.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. I would have been called out if I used quotes around anarchist

And anyway, I did not want to fall into the "no true Scotsman" fallacy by saying that real anarchists are non-violent. The groups perpetrating these acts of vandalism and terrorism call themselves anarchists, and therefore so will I.

:shrug:

[SmokingJacket]

2. I think some of them are for real, and others are infiltrators. nt

[Fumesucker]

3. You are confusing anarchists with agents provocateur

And just creeps who like to break things.

Any even mildly leftist organizations get flooded with undercover agents provocateur who advocate violence.

An old lesson from the sixties and seventies protests is that the guy who volunteers to get the explosives is a government agent.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. They call themselves anarchists

Whether I agree with their use of that term is irrelevant.

[Fumesucker]

10. Yes, agents provocateur are going to out themselves..

:eyes:

And there are always idiots that take up names they think are cool sounding.

[G_j]

7. yep, nt

[Junkdrawer]

6. Funny how the FBI successfully infiltrated the groups that document Police abuse...

but left the anarchists alone, huh?

[Bob Dobbs]

8. The "Black Block" are the infiltrators.

They are the black ops who perpetrate property damage.

We were on the lookout for them in Denver and never found any. No property damage in Denver.

They were one of my targets as I documented the actions in Denver.

[SpiralHawk]

9. Gigadittoes on the Black Ops

Paid provocateurs.

[SidneyCarton]

11. They get manipulated.

The elites know that Mr. and Mrs. Middle America fear nothing more than "barbarians" rampaging through the suburban streets. So they let them run riot through the streets, and then justify further crackdowns and elimination of civil liberties as the only way to provide an adequate defense against the seemingly teeming forces of chaos lurking just outside the door. In my opinion, an overwhelming majority of anarchists aren't in on this joke, they honestly believe that they are doing their part in attacking an inherently oppressive and corrupt system, they don't realize that their actions are being manipulated and used to justify that very system they are trying to attack.