I guess the disconnect here is what constitutes legal protest. I agree that we are not given any rights, but that they are simply enumerated.
And certainly the belief has been expressed here that activities that would ordinarily be illegal become legal once those actions have been declared part of a protest.
I really think it is important to think of this in terms of the whether the activities you are advocating would be acceptable if committed by a group that you oppose. That is why I brought up the subject of abortion protesters. Most of us here support women’s bodily autonomy. I am sure there are exceptions. But the point is that they earnestly believe that their protest is a matter of life and death.
If you can block access to a coal fired power plant, then they can block people’s access to a clinic.
If it is acceptable for you to spray paint slogans on construction equipment, then they should be allowed to paint fetuses or bible verses on the clinic walls.
But we have established that so far, they cannot do these things. Even though they each have received a personal message from God that it is their mission to do so.
I would love to hear a reasoned argument as to why destruction of or tampering with equipment at an LNG terminal, a power plant, or a dam should ever be considered acceptable forms of protest.
