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Chris Rufo predicts ‘riot season’ for runup to next year’s election

December 6, 2023 | | Print Article

The upcoming 2024 election season could provide the perfect platform for rioting and chaos as seen during the 2020 violence after the death of George Floyd.

Current tensions continue to escalate across the nation in the wake of the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists in October which seems to have opened a Pandora’s box of antisemitism. These protests could morph more regularly into riots that will no doubt affect the coming election campaign season, warns conservative activist Christopher Rufo.

In an article published this week, the senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research noted that “the left-wing rioting following George Floyd’s death in 2020 was not an anomaly, but a tactic that activists can repurpose for any cause,” warning that “these recent outbursts could be a dress rehearsal for possible violence during next year’s election campaign.”

Rufo expanded the topic with advice to conservative leaders to better “understand and manage the politics of rioting” in order to prevent a repeat of 2020.

Looking specifically at what may spark a “riot season,” the best-selling author suggested former President Donald Trump “may well be convicted and imprisoned, likely yielding explosive consequences, including possible violence from both sides of the ideological divide.”

Rufo explained:

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Progressives are restless and ready. Left-wing activists have established a constellation of institutions to support public demonstrations. Protest NGOs, media entities, research centers, black-bloc (Antifa) networks, and bail funds are all finely tuned to mobilize mass movements. The Left carefully manages its licit and illicit factions: progressive political leaders tacitly delegate the dirty work to anarchist and racialist factions, which can change costumes—for example, from a BLM mask to a Palestinian keffiyeh—at any moment.

 

“Red-state governors should start preparing now,” he urged, contending that the time “to monitor, infiltrate, and disrupt violent left-wing activist networks” is before violence breaks out.

“Republican officials must also shift incentives. Governors should pass legislation increasing penalties for rioting and train National Guard units in anti-riot tactics.” Rufo continued, citing successful actions by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2020 as an example.

And in the case of riots breaking out despite preventative moves, Rufo suggested one of two approaches, a “ground war” and an “air war.”

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“National Guard units can suppress riots, protect lives and property, and restore public order. But it also carries a risk. The Left has mastered the tactic of baiting law enforcement into a reaction, framing any response as ‘authoritarian’ and using the national media to shift public opinion,” he wrote.

He went on to explain that the “air war” plays out via the airwaves.

“Whether by choice or necessity, political leaders can enact a policy of containment, leaving the mayhem in certain neighborhoods for local authorities to handle, while waging a battle for public opinion in the media and blaming the political Left for the violence and destruction,” he wrote.

But, Rufo cautioned after showing how Trump employed this tactic to a point in 2020, the move could backfire as voters just want an end to the violence, explaining that the “threat of continued violence paid an electoral dividend—and it offers left-wing agitators a strong incentive to repeat the performance in 2024.”

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Rufo noted that “[C]ivil disorder has often benefited the challenger in recent presidential elections,” but with a potential Trump rematch with President Joe Biden in 2024, voters could blame either leader for the chaos.

“The time to prepare is now,” Rufo concluded, urging conservative leaders to be ready to take action in the face of likely unrest.

Social media users weighed in on the author’s warning about an upcoming “riot season” with both serious and more flippant reactions.

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Frieda Powers
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