You know the presidential election season is officially underway in the United States when mobs begin filling the streets of every major city, chanting genocidal slogans and attacking police officers. This is the norm during an election year in places like Lagos, and now we’ve imported the tradition here. You don’t need to check your calendar or wait for the national political conventions. When you see the mobs, the campaign has begun in earnest.
Three years ago, the catalyst for these mobs was the overdose of George Floyd in Minneapolis. This time around, the mobs have sprung into action in response to the war in Israel. At least on the surface, it’s hard to think of two grievances that have less in common with one another. You’d probably assume that they’re completely unrelated. And indeed, if you watch news coverage of these demonstrations, your assumptions would only be reinforced. Here for example was ABC’s coverage of the recent protests in New York:
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