A previously unidentified network, known as A15 Action, launched what they termed an “economic blockade” on Monday, aiming to “identify and blockade big choke points in the economy, focusing on factors of production and flow to cause the most economical effect ” in order to “disrupt and blockade financial logistical centers and the flow of capital.” ”
At the Seattle Sea-Tac and Chicago O’Hare Airports, where tourists were forced to leave their vehicles and scurry to get flights, there were disruptions. Key sidewalks were likewise blocked, including the Golden Gate Bridge, which remained shut for several hours. Big firms were disrupted, including defence contractors that provide arms to the Israeli security forces, but likewise related businesses such as Tesla’s Fremont, California shop. Companies, roads, and slots were also disrupted in many nations including Australia, Greece, and Ireland.
The network’s website is linked to a loan account, which was instrumental in the aid of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, which was funded by what The Washington Free Beacon called the “left-wing black money behemoth ” known as the Tides Center, despite the evidence that the administrators were from an anarchist or antifa arrangement. Thus, one can anticipate future significant-scale disruptive actions to be forthcoming in the wake of other left-wing causes.
Most people tend to believe that these occasional protests like blocking of roads, ports, railways, and businesses are intended to produce media coverage to highlight the protesters ’ political speech. However, A15 Action is a growing trend where the disruption is itself the strategic goal, as the organizers themselves stated in a tweet from the network’s account, which read,” The call was a reorientation from symbolic protest to material economic blockade. ”
What exactly do these disruptive national, even international days serve? How should Americans respond?
To begin, be aware that these national or even international campaigns that were simultaneously orchestrated have proven to be successful in creating a sense of widespread or widespread opposition wherever it is not present. Not a true expression of popular will, what you see are highly interconnected networks of comparatively small groups of trained demonstrators, amplified by astute use of social media.
Election officials should keep in mind that what appears to be a massive uprising is a shadow puppet show designed to intimidate them into making quick decisions. Citizens should be aware that, despite the possibility that the entire nation is crumbling, these incidents are most likely not representative of their immediate neighborhoods and communities.
These actions are not intended to persuade, but rather to stop the delicate but extensive infrastructure of daily life that regular people have grown used to. Port blockades mean packages that aren’t delivered. Important business meetings are canceled as a result of airport demonstrations. Roadblocks can be frightening events that turn already-stressful commutes into multiple-hour claustrophobic nightmares. Such protests are intended to persuade you of the cause’s righteousness rather than to make you agree to any outcome that will stop the discomfort.
Regular Americans should take a leaf from the radical left’s book and practice” think globally but act locally” to succeed in combating these tactics. ” While many cities faced hour-long chaotic traffic jams, Florida protesters were quickly cleared and arrested to the applause of local residents, thanks to the state’s “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act ” signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021.
Similar legislation has now been reproduced in multiple other states including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Iowa, meaning local law enforcement does not have to tolerate illegal roadblocks and similar tactics. Numerous states are now considering legislation to enact tougher penalties for trespassing or blocking important infrastructure, including ports and railroads. Contact your state legislators to see if they had any interest in passing a bill similar to this.
Sens. s. s. have also suggested legislation at the federal level. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. , and Thom Tillis, R-N. C. , which would lead to a federal prison term of up to five years for those who “purposely obstruct, delay, or affect commerce by blocking a public road or highway. One appealing feature of the Safe and Open Streets Act is that it would also criminalize conspiracies to cause such disruptions, allowing law enforcement to use force against networks like A15 before lives are ruined.
Unfortunately, given the lack of responsiveness from federal law enforcement, and especially the FBI, when it comes to addressing Antifa and other anarchist and far-left extremist activity, it ’s unlikely the legislation, even if successfully adopted, would be routinely enforced, so state-level legislation that mirrors the federal proposal remains advisable.
In the end, Americans must demand that their elected officials uphold law and order rather than let themselves be intimidated and despair. If they do n’t, April 15 will appear every day and there will be disruptions in public life.
At the Center for Security Policy, Kelly Shideler is the senior analyst for homeland security.
