![Click to enlarge chaz](/image/s28/573743/5ef1d19c2030275c6d2d3335.jpg)
© Reuters / Nick Wood; Twitter / @oogesatarouThe so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle.
A Japanese artist, activist and reporter went to Seattle to cover the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) and to show that the protest was non-violent. He left within 15 minutes having been severely beaten up.
Oogesa Taro, the organizer of a collaborative social art project called '
Without Borders', travelled to the US to explore the ongoing protests that erupted in the wake of the George Floyd killing by Minneapolis police.
Reporting from the ground within the CHAZ, it didn't take long before Taro was set upon and beaten up by some of the area's less welcoming residents.
Despite the unsavoury encounter and hostility, Taro's indomitable spirit led him back to the scene of the crime.
"Im back. #CHOP. To prove that this is not a protest that affirms violence. To prove that this is not a violent protest," he said.
Comment: This is a perfect allegory for the history of communist/socialist states in the 20th century. There will always be fellow travelers willing to ignore the totalitarianism, choosing instead to see the socialist utopia of their dreams, even if it kills them.