Opinion: BLM Does Not Deserve Nobel PRize Nomination

In the light of Black Lives Matter’s resurged popularity in August of last year, The Babylon Bee, a website known for its satirical articles about on current events, published a piece mocking a scenario that seemed an impossibility at that time.

The article imagined a scenario in which the BLM movement would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Such a scenario no longer requires imagination, for it might soon come to pass. On Jan. 29, 2021, BLM was nominated or the Nobel Peace Prize, and what began as a satirical prediction turned into a woke reality. 

This nomination came from Norwegian Parliament member Petter Eide, who said that the movement “had tremendous achievement in raising global awareness and consciousness about racial injustice.” 

When faced with backlash over the nomination due to violent riots that trickled across the county this summer, Eide asserted that “most of the demonstrations organized by Black Lives Matter have been peaceful.” He also made a point to remind the public that Martin Luther King Jr. had been awarded this prize in the past for his fight against racial injustice. 

It is not hard to quickly distinguish the differences between the Black Lives Matter organization and Martin Luther King, whom many admire, however. King advocated for peaceful protests from the beginning of his fight against injustice. This has not been the case with Black Lives Matter, as many incited the violence and even sought to moralize it. In the wake of it all, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said he didn’t recall “where it said protests needed to be peaceful.”

Freedom of speech, religion, press and assembly are rights protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Because these values apply to all Americans, people who were outraged by the death of George Floyd had the constitutional right to assemble and protest against what they believed to be racial injustice and police brutality. 

The Constitution does not applaud or condone the destruction of property, the burning of cities and the vandalization of statues, however. Violent actions of any kind are inexcusable. 

BLM’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize is not only a mockery of the U.S. Constitution, which it failed to adhere to, but also a mockery of morality, which has now been completely thrown out the window. According to a study done by the U.S. Crisis Monitor, most BLM protests were peaceful. 

But the percentage of protests that became violent caused irreparable damage. How then, can a movement responsible for both reconciliation and destruction, be nominated to receive a prize that is meant to define peace in society? The definition of morality and absolutes continues to be blurred. 

This nomination also clearly shows that the BLM organization is widely misunderstood by the public. When closely examined, it becomes apparent that the results of what BLM seeks to do reject peace or justice, but instead perpetuate destruction and injustice to all. 

An article published by The Heritage Foundation says, “the goals of the Black Lives Matter organization go far beyond what most people think.” The article described how, thanks to the help of the media and their positive portrayal of BLM, they are able to hide in plain sight. The author shows that when individuals take a better look, a look that goes beyond the slogan, the group’s radical Marxist agenda bubbles to the surface. 

The authors of the article, Mike Gonzalez and Andrew Olivastro, said that their agenda “would supplant the basic building block of society — the family — with the state and destroy the economic system that has lifted more people from poverty than any other. Black lives, and all lives, would be harmed. Theirs is a blueprint for misery, not justice. It must be rejected.” BLM’s negative stance on family, which was once on their website, has now been deleted.

However, BLM’s website does boast seven current demands, including expelling Republican members of Congress who attempted to overturn the election, permanently banning Trump from all digital platforms and defunding the police. 

Not only does this organization want to completely change and rebuild America, but it is asking for things that go against the very rights America was founded on — even those rights that they claim they want for themselves. 

Censoring politicians, cancelling everything that poses a “threat” to their ideology, and defunding those meant to protect the nation is not liberation, but instead paves the way for further oppression. 

We now see a society where justice is slowly becoming one-sided, allowing violence as long as it fits the narrative. This is not a society that will acquire peace, but instead further moral relativism. The Black Lives Matter Nobel Peace Prize nomination stands as proof. 

“In spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace,” – Martin Luther King Jr. 

Rosa Elias is a Social Media Manager. Follow her on Twitter at @rosaeliasnajri.