We are already living in a time of civil protests in Western Europe, approaching civil unrest and perhaps also a civil war. No serious popular movement wants a civil war. It wants to avoid it. But if a civil war comes, we already know how the ruling classes will respond: by declaring the Western European countries in a state of emergency.
The riot in Rotterdam (“de rellen in Rotterdam”) on Friday evening 19 November gives a show case of how such a state of emergency might be put in place. In fact, the Dutch government has already set the ground for a state of emergency by preparing the people for a partial lockdown and the coming introduction of covid passports.
Making a statement against these plans was the aim of the protesters that turned up on the streets of central Rotterdam that Friday evening. They were not many; just a ten according to the police. With hardly any visible signs.
About half an hour later a few numbers of scattered, ill equipped police officers showed up. Nothing seemed to happen.
But unexpectedly an entirely different species of protesters entered the streets, with their faces covered by balaclavas. Most likely “football supporters” or hooligans to put it more accurately.
The situation heated up. The city major, Ahmed Aboutaleb, was informed and the number of police officers increased. Fireworks exploded. Rioters dressed in black mixed into the protesters, hooligans and second generation young male migrants. The composition of the mass altered and with it the power of the crowd.
The streets were overtaken by rioters. Police cars were set on fire. The police withdrew – the rioters had gained control of the street.
Suddenly it was as if the French banlieues have moved from France to the Netherlands and from the suburbia to the city centre.
Riot forces and police officers from the entire country were summoned to Rotterdam, with helmets, riot gear and fire arms. Shots were fired and two persons were hit. One of them bleeding out on the pavement, with neon lights from the local HM store on the street corner in the background.
Protesters were wounded and arrested. The city centre was taken back by the police, block by block.
There has been rumours about the entire riot being a set-up, carefully planned by the authorities in cooperation with police forces of the European Union.
None of this matter. The point is rather the unmistakably hooliganistic nature of the protests and the riots. That we are dealing qualitatively different kind mass than the one showing up in the protests of the dockers in Rotterdam or in Trieste.
It bears the marks of what we might call the surplus population of the Western capitalist countries, a mixture of people living on welfare, semi-criminals, criminals, unemployed, including a shadow population of undocumented migrants, etc.
Once these elements mix into the popular protests and working-class movements nothing of value can be accomplished. Because these people lack political consciousness, making them open to all sorts of adventures. In particular open to serve any master that pays them or triggers them into action. For the purpose of undermining a government that promotes popular interests or for the purpose of destroying a popular movement.
We do not know exactly the motives the rioting masses in Rotterdam, but there is much which suggests that the were there to burn, loot, steal, fight, and create all sorts of chaos. In this case the actions of the rioters did not lead a state of emergency or curfew, but next time it very well may.