Police kept a close eye on dueling protests that took place Saturday outside the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, where science fiction fans gathered for WorldCon 76.
One group called Predators Out Now! Patriots Rally said they were demonstrating against what they call an epidemic of pedophilia in the sci-fi community. They wouldn’t talk to TV reporters, but their Facebook page named Walter Breen, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Samuel Delany—fantasy writers they accuse of sexually abusing children—as symptoms of a subculture that excuses or covers up their crimes.
The sparsely-attended rally also expressed solidarity with the National March Against Far-Left Violence. They also noted that there would be an open mic portion of the event for testimony from people victimized at the Donald Trump rally that took place in downtown San Jose leading up to his 2016 election.
Counter-protesters showed up to oppose the anti-predators-slash-anti-leftist demonstration, which they believed had ties with the racist, misogynist and homophobic fringe known as the alt-right.
“A mob of racists, fascists, neo-Nazis, and bigots are descending on our city to intimidate members of our community and forward their hateful message,” they wrote on the Facebook event page for the demonstration called Hate Not Welcome in San Jose. “These individuals are members of the fascist organization the Proud Boys as well as other groups of violent Trump supporters that are coming to San Jose from out of town. Members of the Proud Boys have been recorded making threats against immigrants at their rallies, including declaring that immigrants heads should be ‘smashed into concrete.’ We are calling for a mass mobilization to send a clear message that their racism and bigotry will not be tolerated here.”
> Far-Right Rally Draws Counter-Protesters Outside WorldCon 76
> One group called Predators Out Now! Patriots Rally said they were demonstrating against what they call an epidemic of pedophilia in the sci-fi community.
Has Silicon Valley Newsroom ever covered any Moderate Right rallies?
What do demonstrators at moderate right rallies protest against?
Long wait times to use the restrooms at Starbucks?
I have attended science fiction / fantasy conventions since 1973, and have never encountered any instance of pedophilia. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. These events are family friendly, very public, and everyone looks out for children.
Pedophilia claims seem to be only in the imaginations of these few protestors. Same for the dubious claims that since a particular author was denied attendance (as he posted on his website that he was going there in order to violate the rules of conduct), that this is a case of Hispanic prejudice or anti-right wing bias. There were plenty of other Hispanic authors and attendees, as well as politically right leaning attendees.
> I have attended science fiction / fantasy conventions since 1973, and have never encountered any instance of pedophilia. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. These events are family friendly, very public, and everyone looks out for children.
I suspect that you are probably correct. Just nice people with vivid imaginations having fun.
The real news is that the hard left has embraced a new tactic. I’ll call it “the Virus Strategy”. The left simply infects someone else’s activities with their own toxic agenda.
Basically, the nihilists/Alinskyites target gatherings of mostly apolitical mostly young adults and kick-up a fake controversy somehow or other linked to the left’s political agenda. The left will also organize and orchestrate fake “right-wing” opposition to create visual “news events” (e.g. “violence”) to be disseminated through the mainstream media and social media.
It’s political theatre. It’s fake news.
It’s sad and tragic that peaceful, law abiding people in the pursuit of happiness have to be the innocent and unwilling victims of the hard left’s malignant, cynical, and destructive political stunts.
And what agenda were the left infecting World con with?
Can you be more specific? The left didn’t organize the pedo rally.
Your statements don’t jive with the facts, but you’re entitled to your opinion. You really should have done some research on this before posting, though. Curious was right.
The individual who set up the protest is a Trump supporter. He didn’t show up at his own protest, and only 40 individuals (outnumbering their audience) showed up. There were enough police there (outnumbering the protestors and the counter protestors) that nothing untoward happened.
The convention goers were escorted in and out, and the convention went on as planned. Attendees were left, right, and middle politically, law abiding people. They were there to appreciate science fiction, which they did.
It’s too bad when people try to insert their political feelings into every single aspect of their lives. That prevents any meaningful discourse, drives divisions, and leaves both sides blaming the other. One might take SAN JOSE OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE ‘s statement:
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and insert “right” where it says “left,” and it would seem just as descriptive to the far left as it is with the “right” inserted to the right wingers.
This all has nothing to do with Worldcon or its attendees. The protests were orchestrated purely for political purposes, attempting to use Worldcon to get the attention of the press. It was covered, initially, by only one local news crew.
I’m not getting sucked into a political argument here. Life’s too short. I have SF movies to watch, books to read, and plans to make for the next SF convention. Tah!
> The protests were orchestrated purely for political purposes, attempting to use Worldcon to get the attention of the press.
That’s basically what I said.
And, that the orchestrators were Leftist activists.
The Left has a textbook on how to do disruptive, attention grabbing publicity stunts: Saul Alinskey’s “Rules for Radicals”.
If you’re trying to discover some evidence that someone other than the Left created this scream fest, you’re just trying too hard. The Left is happy to take the credit.
The orchestrators were alt-right and Trump supporters. The speakers were pro-Trump and alt-right, so you’re claiming it’s some left wing conspiracy? Well, like I said, you’re entitled to your opinion. It’s pointless to argue.
Have a nice life anyway, and if you go to an SF convention, follow the rules. You’ll enjoy it more if you avoid talking about religion, politics, sex and gender, or money. Those are the things people are the most insecure about, and the things which are likely to generate adversarial conversations.
> It’s pointless to argue.
. . . because you have no intention of changing your mind.
But, you’re not alone. Followers almost never change their minds. It’s very traumatic for followers to change their minds because it means they have to get a new shaman.
LOL. Try reading the headline, Jon.
> LOL. Try reading the headline, Jon.
Did you just fall off the turnip truck, or what?
The headline is a “twofer”:
1. False flag
And reporting false flag theater is, therefore, . . .
2. Fake news
LOL! Repeating a lie doesn’t make something true. Have a nice life.
The conspiracy is how you’ve been made to believe that you and you alone have the answers to some massive conspiracy.
And the answer is that we don’t fund mental health care in this country because people like you benefit the elite.