Um... Could you anti-Trump protesters please not display so many Mexican flags when protesting against Trump? You might not realize it but it will only help him in the California primary in June.
That is the big worry of the Los Angeles Times in reporting about the protests against Donald Trump yesterday in Costa Mesa. Here is the Times wringing its hands in worry as reported by Ruben Vives and Shelby Grad, about the "unintended consequences" of displaying the Mexican flag which proved counter-productive in the past:
The protests outside Donald Trump's rally in Costa Mesa on Thursday night appear to point to an upcoming month of activism by Latinos and others as the GOP front-runner tries to seal the presidential nomination in the state.
Hundreds of demonstrators filled the street outside the Orange County amphitheater where Trump held a rally Thursday night, stomping on cars, hurling rocks at motorists and forcefully declaring their opposition to the Republican presidential candidate. At least 17 were arrested.
So the "protests" were really more like riots. Now on to the big concern of the Los Angeles Times:
Traffic came to a halt as protesters walked in the roadway, some waving American and Mexican flags. Protesters smashed a window on at least one police cruiser, punctured the tires of a police sport utility vehicle and at one point, tried to flip a police car.
Video footage showed some demonstrators hurling debris at a passing pickup. One group carried benches and blocked the entrance to the 55 Freeway along Newport Boulevard, with some tossing rocks at motorists near the on-ramp.
It's hard to know how such protests will impact the GOP race.
Some conservatives pointed with outrage to the use of the Mexican flag during the Costa Mesa protest.
During the anti-Proposition 187 rallies of 1994, the flying of the Mexican flag may have increased support for the initiative, which would have denied public services to immigrants here illegally. It was passed by voters but overturned by the courts.
Protesters carrying the Mexican flag during the 2006 protests also sparked debate.
As those protests continued, there were fewer Mexican flags and more American flags. That happened in part because Spanish-language DJs who promoted the demonstration during their radio shows urged participants to carry American flags to show their patriotism.
"If we want to live here, we want to demonstrate that we love this country and we love the American flag," DJ Eddie "El Piolin" Sotelo said at the time.
Psst! Could you protesters/rioters at least fake patriotism by waving American, not Mexican, flags? It's only temporary in order to fool public opinion.
The Times and its allies might have to work very hard to convince anti-Trump protesters to not display Mexican flags so prominently since, as you can see in raw footage of yesterday's protest/riot, that flag they so desperately want to keep under wraps for PR purposes makes an ubiquitous appearance throughout the video.
