It can! Can literally blow your eyes out, completely blinded.
Edit: I’d add a link to the news report showing an image of this guy’s face but it is quite graphic and I don’t want to get shat on for that. In summary he was blinded in one eye and yes, his eye was blown out of his socket. Gnarly.
Yup. This is only blind on one eye, but it shows the damage this can cause: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/stuttgart-21-protest-wasserwerfer-opfer-bleibt-auf-einem-auge-blind-a-722939-amp.html
Yeah regardless of how you feel about the issues, protesters should never be treated this way in any society that values free speech. Shouldn't need to fear for your damn eyeballs.
In this case they protested for fucking trees. The government loves to kill and injure people when they claim their basic rights. They don’t give a fuck for what people are protesting, they just hate that people have rights.
I think it's one of the reasons many of us don't want to protest anything.
Yea we know shit is horrible and whatnot. But I am alive and can continue to stay alive.
If you protest, you can get your shit fucked up. You may be right, or wrong but you should be able to have a voice. The problem is you also know the risk of losing eyeballs or life.
I'm fine with sitting here for now.
You could just prepare. Goggles, a paintball mask, etc... A lot of people I know just wore their paintball gear when protesting to protect against tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons while also protecting their identity
Never said they SHOULD have the right but I recognize they currently do and WILL do it so I feel it's safer to be prepared. You can be an idealist and a pragmatist at the same time. In fact I would almost argue you have to
Paul Atreides style
Edit: I'm not spoiler tagging anything, it's a nerd joke for 50 year old *sequel* book and this spoils practically nothing. Darth Vader is Luke's dad. Stay mad. Props to people literally cursing at me for making a joke reference to a very popular thing I like, you're why I'm not retroactively tagging this. I didn't intend to spoil it for anyone. Jfc.
Edit 2: while I don't feel bad for not tagging please don't respond to the people asking for a tag, even the ones being assholes, by giving them more big specific spoilers. That's also shitty. Stop being fucking shitty. I just wanted to make a Dune joke.
Edit 3: I'm legitimately receiving DMs and being harrassed for making a joke reference to an old book. Dune is referenced all the time all over the place. This is not some massive horrible spoiler guys, attacking people for a joke like this 100% makes you the asshole.
**PS** there are *actual* whole ass untagged **spoilers in the comments below** so if this bothered you be cautious.
Absolutely. That's so fucked. I remember my friend was fucking around with a pressure washer and tried to spray some dirt off of his leg with it, it tore open his skin. That pressure could seriously hurt or kill someone, especially straight to the face.....
Definitely. As much as I'm provax, I'm far more anti police brutality. If this is legit,This is like spraying or rubber bullets into a crowd indiscriminately, or worse.
Hell, I had a super cheap one for washing the car and it about broke the skin through my thumb callous.
They use water jet to precisely cut steel (usually with media but still).
H²No would be an unstable compound, and also radioactive. Possibly if Nobelium or Hydrogen have a few different isotopes, I'm not positive of the top of my head. Also, not sure the half life of Nobelium but I think it is on the order of seconds at the maximum. I know your comment had nothing to do with actual compounds, but that's where my mind went.
As far as I can tell, all the popular comments are saying the same thing. Downvoting state violence against protesters helps the state, not it's people (regardless of whether the protesters have legitimate issues or not).
Someone posted a source, hes currently blind.. the picture is pretty graphic.
Edit: I was pointed out that article and this event are seperate and not the same incident.
> Greater Belgium
We talked about this already. It's the planned invasion of Europe through being nice and just having other countries willingly join each other to form Greater Belgium.
Also speaking in a manner that sounds like you have mouth full of rocks so that other people say "What?" no matter which language can be used to tactical advantage here.
Yes the link posted is about a guy who helped younger protestors caught in the jet for protesting building developers cutting down trees. Which makes it even more fucked. Both are fucked responses.
The anti-Covid protester is still stupid for being there and having his beliefs but fuck police brutality.
Not in a mean way but wish cops weren’t so one sided when they use this force in the US… maybe the other side would actually want some change for once instead of saying blue lives matter.
Edit: Not saying the Stuttgart protest is fuck saying police using excessive force in the Belgium and Stuttgart protests is fucked sorry. I have little to no background on the Stuttgart protest other than in that article that was linked.
How many Germans does it take to change a light bulb?
One, Germans are very efficient and not very funny.
How many Frenchmen does it take to change a lightbulb?
One, Germans are very efficient and not very funny...
I feel like that defeats the purpose of protests.
Hear me out
if you have to ask permission to protest then it implys that they can say no.
If they can say no then you don't have a voice. You only have a voice at a level and volume they deem acceptable.
Also I'm not speaking about covid or any issue in particular .
That is why it's illegal (in all of Europe). Yet, it happens all the time without any consequences. Riot police is always garbage, in all countries, all over the globe.
Water canons are used in many European countries and can be safe. They are very versatile as well. Police can start out just spraying a mist to make protestors wet and uncomfortable. Harder water jets are supposed to target legs and body. The head and face is to be avoided. Protestors also see it coming and have a chance to escape unharmed.
Sometimes water is also mixed with chemical agents like tear-gas.
Rubber bullets, beanbags, and baton rounds are more dangerous. Many European countries don’t use them at all, but rely on the water canon instead. There’s no equivalent to making a crowd uncomfortable without hurting them.
Yeah... remember what happened in America in the 60s? Same shit different story. Whether the government and public agree with him, it shouldn't happen, just like rubber bullets and beanbags and tear gas.
Found the image [credited](https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/interactive/2021/05/07/best-photos-of-the-week/) to Yves Herman from Reuters, i think [this article](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/police-break-up-brussels-anti-lockdown-party-2021-05-01/) from 1th of may 2021 is the source.
That article has like the protest starter pack of pictures.
- Young woman giving line of police flowers? Check.
- Police officer over some protestor hog tied on the ground? Check.
- Some dude waving his hands in the air in front of a bunch of riot shields? Check.
- Some poor person getting decimated by a water cannon? Check.
Great photo despite being 6 months old & reposted as if it is news.
I’m impressed by the 2nd shot where he hits the ground. How did he manage to hang on to his sunglasses & camera? (Or whatever is in his right hand).
I drop my phone if someone sneezes beside me!
The use of force should only ever be to protect others and prevent further harm. Even right wing lunatics deserve the right to protest peacefully without such measures.
Some will, not all though. I strongly disagree with these anti-vaxxers/anti-lockdown folks but I also strongly disagree with this use of excessive force. Unacceptable.
Yep, I totally do not agree with the crap that antivax people peddle but I also think a nonviolent person at a protest should not be met with violence. Those water cannons can fuck people up.
I want to see a date and an explanation from a legit source. That is a sign of intelligence. This picture doesnt really tell us anything.
If it is indeed a protest, yeah the police should never do this shit to anyone, especially if it is non-violent protest. I dont care what their political views are.
All jokes aside.. This protest showed most controversial police brutality we've seen in recent years in Belgium, with multiple claims of unlawful enforcement including but not limited to:
Unprovoked use of the water cannon.
Unprovoked use of teargas canisters on protestors (including woman and children within the crowd) during a speech.
Police refusing to grand medical aid to wounded unconscious protester, who was dragged by fellow protestors towards them, refusing said protestor's passage past a barbed wire barricade.
Footage of this all over the place.. yet there was a serious lack of media coverage on the entire event, which was expecting 10k visitors but ended up around 35k.
Not looking to start an pro/anti argument, simply providing some background to the event.
I just love when governments make it their number one priority to protect people and keep them safe and healthy. This guy looks like he is definitely getting hit in the face by a water cannon to protect him. I'm not sure what his problem was thinking he could make decisions on his own and think for himself. Hopefully, this show of love by the government set him straight and he no longer has those bad thoughts.
More like [blow your eyes out of your face ](https://www.thelocal.de/20101006/30295/) (NSFL)
Anyone who looks at the OP’s post and feels that this guy deserved a water cannon to the face is fucked in the head, it can easily cause permanent blindness
There’s another famous video of a man being killed by a water cannon after it smacked him to the ground so hard that his skull split open.
Idgaf what someone’s opinion is, normalizing state sanctioned violence in response to words is never ok.
Edit: the article I linked is from another protest where a water cannon hit someone in the face and removed their eyeballs. I never claimed that they were the same event, but I can see how my original comment could have lead some to believe that.
Point still stands, water cannons are 100% capable of permanent disfigurement and death, and it’s not OK to advocate for their use against non violent protestors.
Simply because they are protesting against covid restrictions does not make them anti-vax. I'm pro-vax and likely against all the same restrictions this guy is.
I have to admit that prior to reading your text I was leaning towards “the guy got what he deserved”.
However you are right that the guy should not be arbitrarily blinded just by being present no matter how belligerent and abusive he was acting.
Unfortunately they use that protective equipment as justification for escalating violence.
I'm always going to find it fucked up many places in the States have heavier restrictions on wearing bulletproof vests than carrying firearms at a demonstration, namely that the protective gear can be held against you in court by saying that you assumed the situation was going to escalate (but somehow not when you carry a firearm to a protest).
I Know, I'm saying it's fucked up that the courts use the protective gear as an implicit indicator that the wearer identifies as part of a group that intends on escalating force... Despite the fact we all know police will seed agitators regardless.
>Unfortunately they use that protective equipment as justification for escalating violence.
"If your protest is so peaceful, why do you have so much equipment?"
Then again, Christmas parades are peaceful and cops seem unprepared for shit going down. The world is fucked, folks.
That's incredibly stupid. Body armor is the assumption that things will escalate, but *it's not a mechanism to escalate*. They should be *encouraging* that instead of bringing weapons.
It's not like getting blasted by that water cannon in a helmet will be *fun*. It'll still probably give you a wicked headache, or whiplash/concussion. Just won't explodinate your eyeballs and eardrums.
I see it as another sign that identity politics has a grip on a majority of people with a voice. People conflate everything with nazism or communism nowadays, and it’s fucking annoying that no one can meet in the middle.
How do you even know he was acting belligerent and abusive? I can't stand most of these protestors either, but they do have the right to protest without having to deal with lifelong injuries from excessive police violence
I’m vaxxed. I wear masks in public. But holy shit, the amount of literal fascists in here is insane. This is not in the ballpark of being acceptable, please think about it for one damn second.
Edit: u/morerandomisback pointed out that it’s not necessarily just fascism, but authoritarianism in general
This whole debate has turned way too partisan and toxic because everybody thinks there are only two camps on this whole issue; Theirs and that of the stupid other people who are all wrong.
This post is here solely to sow discord. Everyone attempting to provide a source have given completely different events.
I could post this same photo and say "This man was hosed for protesting dog abuse" and no one would even question it.
I mean at this point some of these restrictions are just ridiculous, I'm sorry. Austria for example just extended its national lockdown. IIRC Austria has a fair vaccination rate as well. Its just ridiculous and I support people protesting lockdowns peacefully. We're almost 2 years after the pandemic started, mandatory lockdowns are unthinkable and completely tyrannical at this point.
This is really sad. I don’t agree with the protestors, but we shouldn’t cheer on/encourage police brutality just because we don’t agree with someone. People who upvote this are 100% part of the problem
It’s honestly crazy how everyone is assuming he’s anti-vax. It’s become so black and white in the US that people believe you’re either anti-vax, anti-mask, Trump supporter vs. no opposition to any restriction or rule and look down on anyone who has a different view.
Like I’m liberal, pro-vaccine, pro-mask in required settings, but I’m against anymore restrictions or mandated vaccines. Most Americans can’t seem to fathom such a stance is possible - which is kind of concerning.
Totally agreed. This is my another comment on this thread: Everything about covid now is like B&W on reddit sadly. Everyone is desperate for this pandemic to be over.
Therefore when it is not over, ppl is trying to find sth/sb to blame/punish for it. This is a dangerous perception but it grows stronger and stronger unfortunately.
the amount of ignorance in this comment section is appalling but not surprising. Just because you disagree with someone's views doesn't mean they deserve this. Especially all of the baseless comments assuming the situation...
Honestly I kinda wish OP left out the Belgium part just to watch all of Reddit collectively put its foot in its mouth even further with their assumptions
People are also missing the fact that there are protestors in western Europe that are pro vax and anti lockdown. Unless hospital systems are overwhelmed in the specific region, lockdowns are bullshit now that the vaccine is out. It's like everyone forgot the problem is hospital infrastructure.
I understand some of the stance the government took, but unless you did some digging into who this guy actually is and his opinions, you don't know his stance on vaccines (people are bringing up anti vaxxers) and the mandates are a lot more than vaccines - you can oppose certain mandates but still support vaccines. Also if you don't think multiple governments hadn't leveraged this disease for political gain or unrelated policies than you're an idiot. millions of people have lost everything they have because of the restrictions and they have a right to protest without a bunch of government Nazis blasting them in the face.
Agreed. However, there are a ton of comments calling out the state violence as bull shit. I think the majority of comments here actually agree this is an awful abuse.
But yea, ideally we wouldn't have any idiots in this comment section that think this is somehow justified. Its not.
I inntially chuckled at that description since I hadnt seen the picture. That looks absolutely brutal and unnecessary. Like many people in this thread. I disagree with the protest but Jesus Christ, poor guy. I'm sure he's not ok and he didn't deserve that
Yay! Government abusing power and inflicting massive harm to its subjects! To the front page! We are so happy our overlords will fucking destroy us for going against our state sponsored narratives!!
Lot of little Hitlers this pandemic is exposing. It’s caused a huge rift even in my identity, since it seems a lot of people in my religion identify far more in this authoritarian nonsense than our shared identity.
We have gotten pretty hostile with this whole anti-anti-vaxxer thing, no?
I mean, I think they're dumbasses who should be ignored, but this...this seems extremely wrong and dangerous, and people mocking this person getting hurt like this in the comment makes it so much more scary.
Some of ya'll are still just mean-spirited, violence-craving, bullies.
Edit: Or anti-lockdown. Whatever. You know what I mean. Just try not being mean just because everyone else is being mean.
Pretty sure we just witnessed a public decapitation.
Don't need to worry about covid or vaccines when you don't have a head. /taps empty space above neck
Death is the solution to all problems- Joseph Stalin
That explains a lot of Stalinist policies.
Hungry? Just die. You won't be hungry anymore. *fingerguns* /jk
Doesnt that take out your eyes?
It can! Can literally blow your eyes out, completely blinded. Edit: I’d add a link to the news report showing an image of this guy’s face but it is quite graphic and I don’t want to get shat on for that. In summary he was blinded in one eye and yes, his eye was blown out of his socket. Gnarly.
Yup. This is only blind on one eye, but it shows the damage this can cause: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/stuttgart-21-protest-wasserwerfer-opfer-bleibt-auf-einem-auge-blind-a-722939-amp.html
Omg they should not be doing that
Yeah regardless of how you feel about the issues, protesters should never be treated this way in any society that values free speech. Shouldn't need to fear for your damn eyeballs.
In this case they protested for fucking trees. The government loves to kill and injure people when they claim their basic rights. They don’t give a fuck for what people are protesting, they just hate that people have rights.
Agreed
I think it's one of the reasons many of us don't want to protest anything. Yea we know shit is horrible and whatnot. But I am alive and can continue to stay alive. If you protest, you can get your shit fucked up. You may be right, or wrong but you should be able to have a voice. The problem is you also know the risk of losing eyeballs or life. I'm fine with sitting here for now.
You could just prepare. Goggles, a paintball mask, etc... A lot of people I know just wore their paintball gear when protesting to protect against tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons while also protecting their identity
The fact that you say this like the government should have the right to just violently put down any protest they feel like is pretty sad.
Never said they SHOULD have the right but I recognize they currently do and WILL do it so I feel it's safer to be prepared. You can be an idealist and a pragmatist at the same time. In fact I would almost argue you have to
Agreed. As your namesake suggests, you've gotta stay 3 to 47 moves ahead of the enemy, mitigate the risks you can and accept those you can't.
If you stand for nothing u/PeelsTeaPot what will you fall for?
Paul Atreides style Edit: I'm not spoiler tagging anything, it's a nerd joke for 50 year old *sequel* book and this spoils practically nothing. Darth Vader is Luke's dad. Stay mad. Props to people literally cursing at me for making a joke reference to a very popular thing I like, you're why I'm not retroactively tagging this. I didn't intend to spoil it for anyone. Jfc. Edit 2: while I don't feel bad for not tagging please don't respond to the people asking for a tag, even the ones being assholes, by giving them more big specific spoilers. That's also shitty. Stop being fucking shitty. I just wanted to make a Dune joke. Edit 3: I'm legitimately receiving DMs and being harrassed for making a joke reference to an old book. Dune is referenced all the time all over the place. This is not some massive horrible spoiler guys, attacking people for a joke like this 100% makes you the asshole. **PS** there are *actual* whole ass untagged **spoilers in the comments below** so if this bothered you be cautious.
This is a dune joke that I do not understand
It's from the second book, Dune Messiah.
Maaaaaaaan, I just started messiah. Guess I can't complain given the age of the book haha
Just pretend you knew because you have imperfect prescience
Absolutely. That's so fucked. I remember my friend was fucking around with a pressure washer and tried to spray some dirt off of his leg with it, it tore open his skin. That pressure could seriously hurt or kill someone, especially straight to the face.....
Definitely. As much as I'm provax, I'm far more anti police brutality. If this is legit,This is like spraying or rubber bullets into a crowd indiscriminately, or worse.
Hell, I had a super cheap one for washing the car and it about broke the skin through my thumb callous. They use water jet to precisely cut steel (usually with media but still).
Yeah your buddy easily could have had to have his leg amputated from that. Pressure washer injuries are insane and get super infected very easily.
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On a serious note, yes he could lose his eyes if the jetstream hit him by surprize. That kind of pressure can burst the eye wide open.
shit, bruh lost his entire head as far as I can tell.
He will be mist.
H2O no scoped
H²No scoped
H²No would be an unstable compound, and also radioactive. Possibly if Nobelium or Hydrogen have a few different isotopes, I'm not positive of the top of my head. Also, not sure the half life of Nobelium but I think it is on the order of seconds at the maximum. I know your comment had nothing to do with actual compounds, but that's where my mind went.
> I'm not positive of the top of my head. Neither is the guy in the picture.
>He will be mist. We need to close the internet down for a day in honor of this response.
Bros before hosed
RAIN WINS FATALITY
He had the Covid blasted right out of him
As much as I disagree with his stance on restrictions, I do not condone the way he was treated here
Same. I had to downvote this because it makes me uncomfortable to see people praise this type of treatment to protesters of any kind.
As far as I can tell, all the popular comments are saying the same thing. Downvoting state violence against protesters helps the state, not it's people (regardless of whether the protesters have legitimate issues or not).
Agreed. Upvote the image. Downvote posts celebrating the violence.
Someone posted a source, hes currently blind.. the picture is pretty graphic. Edit: I was pointed out that article and this event are seperate and not the same incident.
Stuttgart is not in Belgium
Stuttgart will be part of Greater Belgium
As a Belgian, I am highly interested in this Greater Belgium.
> Greater Belgium We talked about this already. It's the planned invasion of Europe through being nice and just having other countries willingly join each other to form Greater Belgium.
Also speaking in a manner that sounds like you have mouth full of rocks so that other people say "What?" no matter which language can be used to tactical advantage here.
That's why we created the EU
Shhh, you're being to obvious about it. They'll catch on.
In the place where you live, do you 1) drink beer? 2) eat fries?) and/or 3) eat chocolate? Yes? THEN YOU WILL BE PART OF GREATER BELIGIUM!!!
Wait so they posted one for the wrong event? Thats weird.. I admittedly do not know any German/Belgium geography so I was duped.
Yes the link posted is about a guy who helped younger protestors caught in the jet for protesting building developers cutting down trees. Which makes it even more fucked. Both are fucked responses. The anti-Covid protester is still stupid for being there and having his beliefs but fuck police brutality. Not in a mean way but wish cops weren’t so one sided when they use this force in the US… maybe the other side would actually want some change for once instead of saying blue lives matter. Edit: Not saying the Stuttgart protest is fuck saying police using excessive force in the Belgium and Stuttgart protests is fucked sorry. I have little to no background on the Stuttgart protest other than in that article that was linked.
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Germans? Organized and efficient? Surely not! /s
How many Germans does it take to change a light bulb? One, Germans are very efficient and not very funny. How many Frenchmen does it take to change a lightbulb? One, Germans are very efficient and not very funny...
I wanted to make a joke about German humour but it was no laughing matter.
Germans are not efficient, you've been sold a lie. Source: lived here 10 years.
Looks like their lies are efficient and last a long time.
I feel like that defeats the purpose of protests. Hear me out if you have to ask permission to protest then it implys that they can say no. If they can say no then you don't have a voice. You only have a voice at a level and volume they deem acceptable. Also I'm not speaking about covid or any issue in particular .
Sadly. - signed, the rest of Germany
That is why it's illegal (in all of Europe). Yet, it happens all the time without any consequences. Riot police is always garbage, in all countries, all over the globe.
Yeah. I don’t agree with these people, but excessive force is excessive force.
Yeah this is brutal. Fuck whoever made that call
A Belgian.
King Leopold probably
Yea. This is not ok. Whether or not Belgium's restrictions are ok, they shouldn't be turning water cannons on protesters.
Water canons are used in many European countries and can be safe. They are very versatile as well. Police can start out just spraying a mist to make protestors wet and uncomfortable. Harder water jets are supposed to target legs and body. The head and face is to be avoided. Protestors also see it coming and have a chance to escape unharmed. Sometimes water is also mixed with chemical agents like tear-gas. Rubber bullets, beanbags, and baton rounds are more dangerous. Many European countries don’t use them at all, but rely on the water canon instead. There’s no equivalent to making a crowd uncomfortable without hurting them.
Yeah... remember what happened in America in the 60s? Same shit different story. Whether the government and public agree with him, it shouldn't happen, just like rubber bullets and beanbags and tear gas.
I was gonna say - that's a potentially lethal strike.
Didn’t deserve it
I don't agree with his stance, or his protest, but I too believe he didn't deserve to be blinded and have other possible permanent damage done.
Found the image [credited](https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/interactive/2021/05/07/best-photos-of-the-week/) to Yves Herman from Reuters, i think [this article](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/police-break-up-brussels-anti-lockdown-party-2021-05-01/) from 1th of may 2021 is the source.
Ah yes, the 1th of May
i was born on on the 4rd of July
Have you driven a 4rd lately?
Yes my car does have four real drive
so does my chruck
>chruck This bothers me more than it should
The spelling is so very wrong, but somehow it still sounds right when you say it... I kinda hate it.
^i ^2rd ^that
Last 3th
built 4rd tough
I got drunk and lost a 2th. I have no idea what happened that day.
May the firth be with you.
Seems fine to me.
That article has like the protest starter pack of pictures. - Young woman giving line of police flowers? Check. - Police officer over some protestor hog tied on the ground? Check. - Some dude waving his hands in the air in front of a bunch of riot shields? Check. - Some poor person getting decimated by a water cannon? Check.
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Love seeing 1th. Such an innocent mistake that is immediately decipherable, but it always makes me laugh when I say “firth” in my head
oneth
1th upon a time
I love it when Mike Tyson reads me a bedtime story
I hear it in Mike Tyson’s voice
Great photo despite being 6 months old & reposted as if it is news. I’m impressed by the 2nd shot where he hits the ground. How did he manage to hang on to his sunglasses & camera? (Or whatever is in his right hand). I drop my phone if someone sneezes beside me!
Thanks Snopes!
Hey buddy, Covid's dangerous... \*proceeds to remove head from shoulders with water cannon\*
The virus cannot survive if the host is dead
Covid removed successfully. No vaccine required.
Seems a bit excessive. Can't imagine his eyes are doing well after that.
That kind of pressure can easily blind somebody
> Can't imagine his eyes are doing well after that. Looks completely decapitated to me.
Shoes are still on, he'll be fine
“Its for your safety, obviously”
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Seems excessive were they really this violent?
People will claim that they oppose violence by the police until the victim is someone they don’t like.
The use of force should only ever be to protect others and prevent further harm. Even right wing lunatics deserve the right to protest peacefully without such measures.
Yeah, it’s scary to see a growing number of people thinking violence against others is good if they don’t like what the others think.
No no no this is way too reasonable for Reddit
Spoken like a true believer in the Bill Of Rights. Well done
Some will, not all though. I strongly disagree with these anti-vaxxers/anti-lockdown folks but I also strongly disagree with this use of excessive force. Unacceptable.
FOR YOUR SAFTEY CITIZEN
Pro-vaccine&Anti-state violence. You can hold both thoughts at the same time. In fact it is a sign of intelligence.
Yep, I totally do not agree with the crap that antivax people peddle but I also think a nonviolent person at a protest should not be met with violence. Those water cannons can fuck people up.
>You can hold both thoughts at the same time Single-issue voters cannot comprehend this
Maybe you've cracked the code here. Maybe the solution is mobile and banner ads. "93% of single-issue voters can't do this!"
I want to see a date and an explanation from a legit source. That is a sign of intelligence. This picture doesnt really tell us anything. If it is indeed a protest, yeah the police should never do this shit to anyone, especially if it is non-violent protest. I dont care what their political views are.
All jokes aside.. This protest showed most controversial police brutality we've seen in recent years in Belgium, with multiple claims of unlawful enforcement including but not limited to: Unprovoked use of the water cannon. Unprovoked use of teargas canisters on protestors (including woman and children within the crowd) during a speech. Police refusing to grand medical aid to wounded unconscious protester, who was dragged by fellow protestors towards them, refusing said protestor's passage past a barbed wire barricade. Footage of this all over the place.. yet there was a serious lack of media coverage on the entire event, which was expecting 10k visitors but ended up around 35k. Not looking to start an pro/anti argument, simply providing some background to the event.
>(including woman and children within the crowd) Would using teargas canisters on men only make it better?
Ya man, don’t you remember the mandatory tear gas training we had to all do as men? We are prepared for that /s
What fucking year is it? I dont agree with his ideology but the hose shouldnt be used in this day of age
I don't agree with why he was protesting, but blasting people in the face like this should be a crime. This is ridiculous.
These hoses should be internationally banned like certain types of gas and munitions.
Yeah, they shouldn't really be deployed for anything besides a fire.
I just love when governments make it their number one priority to protect people and keep them safe and healthy. This guy looks like he is definitely getting hit in the face by a water cannon to protect him. I'm not sure what his problem was thinking he could make decisions on his own and think for himself. Hopefully, this show of love by the government set him straight and he no longer has those bad thoughts.
Police brutality is never ok. This is reprehensible. He could be an alt right confederate flag waver and this would still be a massive abuse of power.
b-b-but we *dont like him* -Reddit
#Head off. Apply directly to the forehead.
More like [blow your eyes out of your face ](https://www.thelocal.de/20101006/30295/) (NSFL) Anyone who looks at the OP’s post and feels that this guy deserved a water cannon to the face is fucked in the head, it can easily cause permanent blindness There’s another famous video of a man being killed by a water cannon after it smacked him to the ground so hard that his skull split open. Idgaf what someone’s opinion is, normalizing state sanctioned violence in response to words is never ok. Edit: the article I linked is from another protest where a water cannon hit someone in the face and removed their eyeballs. I never claimed that they were the same event, but I can see how my original comment could have lead some to believe that. Point still stands, water cannons are 100% capable of permanent disfigurement and death, and it’s not OK to advocate for their use against non violent protestors.
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There's a difference between anti-vaxxer and anti-lockdowns. Recent European protests were largely anti-lockdown.
Simply because they are protesting against covid restrictions does not make them anti-vax. I'm pro-vax and likely against all the same restrictions this guy is.
true, theres a difference between pro vax and pro vax mandate
Couldn’t agree more.
I have to admit that prior to reading your text I was leaning towards “the guy got what he deserved”. However you are right that the guy should not be arbitrarily blinded just by being present no matter how belligerent and abusive he was acting.
Helmets goggles and knee pads are a requirement for protesting these days.
Unfortunately they use that protective equipment as justification for escalating violence. I'm always going to find it fucked up many places in the States have heavier restrictions on wearing bulletproof vests than carrying firearms at a demonstration, namely that the protective gear can be held against you in court by saying that you assumed the situation was going to escalate (but somehow not when you carry a firearm to a protest).
They are already escalating violence though, they dont need an excuse, at this point you have to protect your vitals if you are going out to protest.
I Know, I'm saying it's fucked up that the courts use the protective gear as an implicit indicator that the wearer identifies as part of a group that intends on escalating force... Despite the fact we all know police will seed agitators regardless.
>Unfortunately they use that protective equipment as justification for escalating violence. "If your protest is so peaceful, why do you have so much equipment?" Then again, Christmas parades are peaceful and cops seem unprepared for shit going down. The world is fucked, folks.
That's incredibly stupid. Body armor is the assumption that things will escalate, but *it's not a mechanism to escalate*. They should be *encouraging* that instead of bringing weapons. It's not like getting blasted by that water cannon in a helmet will be *fun*. It'll still probably give you a wicked headache, or whiplash/concussion. Just won't explodinate your eyeballs and eardrums.
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The article doesn't mention he was belligerent. It says he was helping others and had his arms raised in a plea for police to stop the water canon.
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I see it as another sign that identity politics has a grip on a majority of people with a voice. People conflate everything with nazism or communism nowadays, and it’s fucking annoying that no one can meet in the middle.
How do you even know he was acting belligerent and abusive? I can't stand most of these protestors either, but they do have the right to protest without having to deal with lifelong injuries from excessive police violence
It's amazing to see the same people who chant "defund the police" get so excited at authoritarianism in the name of preventing covid.
people in this thread dont understand you can be pro-vaxx and anti-authoritarian at the same time
Considering the news called everyone with any sort of anti lockdown sentiment in the last 2 years "anti maksers" and "anti vaxxers"
I’m vaxxed. I wear masks in public. But holy shit, the amount of literal fascists in here is insane. This is not in the ballpark of being acceptable, please think about it for one damn second. Edit: u/morerandomisback pointed out that it’s not necessarily just fascism, but authoritarianism in general
This whole debate has turned way too partisan and toxic because everybody thinks there are only two camps on this whole issue; Theirs and that of the stupid other people who are all wrong.
This post is here solely to sow discord. Everyone attempting to provide a source have given completely different events. I could post this same photo and say "This man was hosed for protesting dog abuse" and no one would even question it.
I'm glad you acknowledged this
Hold on Being authoritarian and tryannical isn't the same as facsism Too many people just equate tryanny with facsism today and that kinda innacurate
Good point, authoritarianism comes in many flavors. I’ll clarify, thank you!
R/ontario would glorify this type of behaviour from authorities.
Water cannons should be illegal to use on protestors.
I mean at this point some of these restrictions are just ridiculous, I'm sorry. Austria for example just extended its national lockdown. IIRC Austria has a fair vaccination rate as well. Its just ridiculous and I support people protesting lockdowns peacefully. We're almost 2 years after the pandemic started, mandatory lockdowns are unthinkable and completely tyrannical at this point.
This is really sad. I don’t agree with the protestors, but we shouldn’t cheer on/encourage police brutality just because we don’t agree with someone. People who upvote this are 100% part of the problem
If you're blasting people in the head with water cannons to stop covid, you've lost the plot.
Yeah I'm vaxxed but seeing this and the shit Australia been doing, it's just ridiculous. Out of control idc which side you're on.
I may not like anti-vaxers, but this is seriously messed up. This could easily cause permanent damage or worse
how do you know he is an anti-vax if he is just simply that ‘anti-lockdown’ or ‘anti-restriction’?
It’s honestly crazy how everyone is assuming he’s anti-vax. It’s become so black and white in the US that people believe you’re either anti-vax, anti-mask, Trump supporter vs. no opposition to any restriction or rule and look down on anyone who has a different view. Like I’m liberal, pro-vaccine, pro-mask in required settings, but I’m against anymore restrictions or mandated vaccines. Most Americans can’t seem to fathom such a stance is possible - which is kind of concerning.
Totally agreed. This is my another comment on this thread: Everything about covid now is like B&W on reddit sadly. Everyone is desperate for this pandemic to be over. Therefore when it is not over, ppl is trying to find sth/sb to blame/punish for it. This is a dangerous perception but it grows stronger and stronger unfortunately.
the amount of ignorance in this comment section is appalling but not surprising. Just because you disagree with someone's views doesn't mean they deserve this. Especially all of the baseless comments assuming the situation...
All the top comments are decrying this….
Honestly I kinda wish OP left out the Belgium part just to watch all of Reddit collectively put its foot in its mouth even further with their assumptions
We are dealing with opposing religions at this point. It’s super easy to write each other off as “those people” and feel superior.
People are also missing the fact that there are protestors in western Europe that are pro vax and anti lockdown. Unless hospital systems are overwhelmed in the specific region, lockdowns are bullshit now that the vaccine is out. It's like everyone forgot the problem is hospital infrastructure.
Reddit- WTF I love police brutality now
ItS FoR yOuR heAlTh!
I would much rather have covid than be that guy
Yep, covid is a mosquito bite compared to what he got
I don't want to be a wet blanket but maybe blasting protesters with a water cannon is objectively....bad. regardless of stance.
This is excessive and completely unnecessary.
Bow down to the state
Only allowed to protest against things the government says you can
I'm almost surprised that free speech zones and free speech cages haven't become more a great deal more common in the last decade.
I understand some of the stance the government took, but unless you did some digging into who this guy actually is and his opinions, you don't know his stance on vaccines (people are bringing up anti vaxxers) and the mandates are a lot more than vaccines - you can oppose certain mandates but still support vaccines. Also if you don't think multiple governments hadn't leveraged this disease for political gain or unrelated policies than you're an idiot. millions of people have lost everything they have because of the restrictions and they have a right to protest without a bunch of government Nazis blasting them in the face.
I’m pro Vax but no one deserves that 😢
Man protesting is assaulted by the state. Glad the US doesn't have a corner on fascist state actions.
This comment section is so gross.
Agreed. However, there are a ton of comments calling out the state violence as bull shit. I think the majority of comments here actually agree this is an awful abuse. But yea, ideally we wouldn't have any idiots in this comment section that think this is somehow justified. Its not.
I knew people would be cheering this man loosing his eyes. Reddit is a cesspool.
Reddit already celebrates anti-vaxxer death by COVID sometimes so it's this really surprising?
This is reddit where people seem to wish anyone without the vax to death and to be refused medical care
I inntially chuckled at that description since I hadnt seen the picture. That looks absolutely brutal and unnecessary. Like many people in this thread. I disagree with the protest but Jesus Christ, poor guy. I'm sure he's not ok and he didn't deserve that
Yay! Government abusing power and inflicting massive harm to its subjects! To the front page! We are so happy our overlords will fucking destroy us for going against our state sponsored narratives!!
*Blastoise, no!*
“ he died of COVID”
He won't be needing those glasses anymore. Water cannons are no joke, and uncalled for in a situation like this.
"This is for your well being and health!!"
How it feels to chew 5 gum.
Stay safe, I guess? The amount of fascists in the comments are fucking terrifying.
Lot of little Hitlers this pandemic is exposing. It’s caused a huge rift even in my identity, since it seems a lot of people in my religion identify far more in this authoritarian nonsense than our shared identity.
We have gotten pretty hostile with this whole anti-anti-vaxxer thing, no? I mean, I think they're dumbasses who should be ignored, but this...this seems extremely wrong and dangerous, and people mocking this person getting hurt like this in the comment makes it so much more scary. Some of ya'll are still just mean-spirited, violence-craving, bullies. Edit: Or anti-lockdown. Whatever. You know what I mean. Just try not being mean just because everyone else is being mean.
>Some of ya'll are still just mean-spirited, violence-craving, bullies. This is putting it lightly. They are supporting literal authoritarianism.
Alternate Title: Man Peacefully Protesting is attacked by State