[DRAFT] The Masked Marauders Strike Again?

[Krogon]

After a controversial animal rights protest in @@CAPITAL@@ by a group called the Masked Marauders lead to numerous injuries, many citizens of @@NAME@@ have called for the protesters to identify themselves, having protested from behind masks of animals. This has caused quite the uproar, and many have come to offer their opinion.
[Validity]
Protests are allowed

[Option 1]
"Fourteen lovely people got hurt that day," says @@RANDOMNAMEFEMALE_1@@, cradling a baby that isn't hers. "Even if they didn't do it themselves, they need to be held responsible! Besides, how do we know if their protests were even real if they're too scared to come out and tell the public who they are? Anyone protesting while wearing a mask must be arrested and forcibly exposed!"
[Fallout]
the only masked thugs at protests are the police

[Option 2]
"Are you joking me, lady?" asks privacy advocate, @@RANDOMNAME_2@@, as @@HE@@ slams down @@HIS@@ fists on your desk. "Think of how much they would be marauded if their colleagues knew they were part of the Marauders! Your identity in a protest should be allowed to be kept secret if you want. It's the only way--!" Suddenly, a female fox masks falls out of @@HIS@@ pocket.
[Fallout]
daily morning traffic is caused by protesters in animal masks

[Option 3]
A figure with a wolf mask steps in your office and laughs. "It's not your business if I caused injuries at all. Just because I was in a protest which resulted in so many people to get hurt doesn't make me a murderer. Not only should you allow us to keep our identity a secret, but you need to let us do whatever we want when we protest. That includes vandalism, assault...whatever you can think of! How are we supposed to get our point across otherwise?" The figure silently snakes away.
[Fallout]
a criminal's favorite place is in a protest

[Issue] Led From Anonymity?
After a controversial protest in @@CAPITAL@@ lead to numerous injuries, many citizens of @@NAME@@ have called for the protesters to identify themselves, having protested from behind masks. This has caused quite the uproar, and many have come to offer their opinion.
[Validity]
Protests are allowed

[Option 1]
"They caused fourteen people to get injuries ranging from a sprained ankle to losing an eye!" says @@RANDOMNAMEFEMALE_1@@, a mother in the popular parenting club Mothers United. "Even if they didn't do it themselves, they need to be held responsible! I can't have my kids seeing things like what happened in the news. Demand they come out and tell @@NAME@@ who they are. We can't let them get away with this!"
[Fallout]
Even the innocent are guilty in @@NAME@@

[Option 2]
"Are you joking me, lady?" asks privacy advocate @@RANDOMNAME_2@@ as @@HE@@ slams down @@HIS@@ fists on your desk. "How were they supposed to know that people would get hurt in the protest?! Your identity in a protest should be allowed to be kept secret if you want. It's the only way."
[Fallout]
there has been numerous sightings of protesters wearing paper bags over their heads

[Option 3]
Suddenly, a figure with a Woman Wowlfs mask steps in your office and laughs. "It's not your business if I caused injuries at all. Just because I was in a protest which resulted in so many people to get hurt doesn't make me a murderer. Not only should you allow us to keep our identity a secret, but you need to let us do whatever we want when we protest. That includes vandalism, assault, whatever you can think of!"
[Fallout]
murderers get out of facing a court sentence with the argument: "I was just protesting"

[Trotterdam]

Wouldn't the identity of the leaders already be known?

It's hard to be a leader that people look up to without anyone knowing who you are.

Of course, often protests grow organically as people attach themselves to the group, rather than everyone following a single leader.

[Bears Armed]

Wouldn't the identity of the leaders already be known?

It's hard to be a leader that people look up to without anyone knowing who you are.

As the RL 'Red' Chinese found out when they experimented with abolishing rank insignia in their armed forces...

(Yes, really.)

[Krogon]

Wouldn't the identity of the leaders already be known?

It's hard to be a leader that people look up to without anyone knowing who you are.

Of course, often protests grow organically as people attach themselves to the group, rather than everyone following a single leader.

I meant it as the people who were making speeches at the front of the protest and leading chants and such. And if you have ever participated in a protest or a march, I'd like to ask if you know the organizer of that protest personally?

but I should probably make that clearer

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Glad to inspire, though not sure what post you mean.

Agree with Trotterdam here - seems a bit of a stretch for people within a protest not to know who organised them to protest.

[Krogon]

Glad to inspire, though not sure what post you mean.

Agree with Trotterdam here - seems a bit of a stretch for people within a protest not to know who organised them to protest.

This post mostly

https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=950582

And I agree it does seem a bit of a stretch. I was thinking I would have it as they organized it over social media, (where anonymity is very much possible) but that would mean requiring social media, which is unneeded validity.

Any ideas on how to avoid this problem? The only solution I can think of is the one above.

[Trotterdam]

I was thinking I would have it as they organized it over social media, (where anonymity is very much possible)

Then it would at least be common knowledge which social media account organized it, even if people don't know which real-life person is behind that account. In that situation, you would be trying to pressure the social media service to reveal private information to your law enforcement, not pressuring the average protest-goers to rat out their leader (since they don't know any more than you do).

[Krogon]

I was thinking I would have it as they organized it over social media, (where anonymity is very much possible)

Then it would at least be common knowledge which social media account organized it, even if people don't know which real-life person is behind that account. In that situation, you would be trying to pressure the social media service to reveal private information to your law enforcement, not pressuring the average protest-goers to rat out their leader (since they don't know any more than you do).

That is true, I might rewrite the issue to look like that, since we don't have an issue that covers that yet.

Thanks for the help!

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Ah I see!

This was what I was thinking of when I threw in that idea:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preventin ... mblies_Act
http://dcist.com/2010/11/masked_protest ... counci.php

So not anonymous organisers, but rather protesting in general without wanting to identify yourself.

[Bears Armed]

"Who organised this?"
"Spartacus."
"And who is Spartacus?"
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
...

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Did someone call?

[Krogon]

well i mean...it's kind of okay to stray a bit from the original idea?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Sure, of course, sorry to derail.

My read on the current take is that it looks to be about personal responsibility for protests organised through the internet. That is, indirect culpability.

#543 Flash, Aaaaaargh! asks a similar question, though in the context of pranks rather than protests. I think that difference is enough to allow the issues to coexist, but I'd be wary about overlapping options too much, given the similarities.

[Krogon]

Jee, I don't know what it is about Flash, Arrrrrgh always overlapping with my drafts! :/
Perhaps unlike social media, the person leading the chants in the front is hiding their identity with something?

[Bears Armed]

Jee, I don't know what it is about Flash, Arrrrrgh always overlapping with my drafts! :/
Perhaps unlike social media, the person leading the chants in the front is hiding their identity with something?

such as a 'Guy Fawkes' (or created-for-NS obvious equivalent) mask?

[Aclion]

"Who organised this?"
"Spartacus."
"And who is Spartacus?"
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
"I am Spartacus."
"No, I am Spartacus."
...

Came here looking for this.

[Krogon]

Jee, I don't know what it is about Flash, Arrrrrgh always overlapping with my drafts! :/
Perhaps unlike social media, the person leading the chants in the front is hiding their identity with something?

such as a 'Guy Fawkes' (or created-for-NS obvious equivalent) mask?

implimented that by using Woman Wowlfs

still don't like the title all that much

[Candensia]

I feel it not necessary to specify that this was a "right-wing" protest, given that the options do not specify much relating to the actual reasons or politics behind the protest.

[Krogon]

I feel it not necessary to specify that this was a "right-wing" protest, given that the options do not specify much relating to the actual reasons or politics behind the protest.

Good point.

[USS Monitor]

Option 1 needs a better effect line.

[Krogon]

Option 1 needs a better effect line.

I agree. Any ideas?

[Australian rePublic]

Why does the identity of protestors matter?

[USS Monitor]

Why does the identity of protestors matter?

To hold them responsible for any damage their protests do.

IRL, I've heard of this issue coming up with KKK rallies. There was a town that tried to ban wearing masks, so as to discourage the KKK and make it easier to keep them under control, and the KKK sued saying it violated their 1st amendment rights.

[Krogon]

Why does the identity of protestors matter?

To hold them responsible for any damage their protests do.

IRL, I've heard of this issue coming up with KKK rallies. There was a town that tried to ban wearing masks, so as to discourage the KKK and make it easier to keep them under control, and the KKK sued saying it violated their 1st amendment rights.

exactly. any more feedback?

[Sacara]

You still haven't changed to the draft to reflect one of CWA's first comments. Instead of focusing on the leaders of the movement, you should talk about that the people that were protesting had masks on and the police have no idea who to charge for their crimes, and have the options reflect that. /runonsentence.