Abstract
The essay considers populism in the present moment in relation to Black Lives Matter as a popular protest movement. Popular protest movements demand that government change; populism in the present moment seeks to act extra-governmentally, and to this end relies on violence in the face of peace protest movement. This violence demonstrates the white patriarchalism of contemporary populism. I argue that peaceful, popular protest is an important tool to resist white patriarchal populist authoritarianism.
Highlights
George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck for more than 8 min, in apparent mockery of his victim’s suffering, triggered a series of protests throughout the United States and the world
Though the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement began in 2013 after the murder of Trayvon Martin whose white murderer was acquitted by a jury in Florida, and gained strength in response to police killings in Ferguson, MO and New York City, it was George Floyd’s murder that triggered a series of protests over killings in Kenosha, WI, Portland, OR, and Philadelphia as thousands more people of all races joined in sustained protest marches through the pandemic summer of 2020
While educated Americans like to fantasize that Europeans are more sensible and civil about their politics—universal health care is accepted as a norm, not as a radical evil that will destroy society— the European anti-immigration rhetoric of hate, exclusion, and domination signaled a shift in the political climate that seemed to lead directly to Trump in the United States, layered onto its history of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia
Summary
George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck for more than 8 min, in apparent mockery of his victim’s suffering, triggered a series of protests throughout the United States and the world. Protests are often considered populist, they are seen to arise from populist movements, by definition: the power of the people against a corrupt government elite is the dictionary definition of populism (Oxford English Dictionary 2002).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
