Enough.
I am done listening to politicians in the West who condemn violence in front of a camera or on their SoMe platform and think that is the job.
Enough of the condemnations. Enough of the concerned expressions. Enough of hearing that violence is "completely unacceptable" from people who apparently think their job is done once they've said it.
When someone is assaulted, threatened, or murdered, we deserve to know who is responsible. When the motive and affiliations are established, say what they are. Even when that means addressing failed integration, Islamist extremism, or violent factions within pro-Palestinian and antifa movements.
No political cause gives anyone a free pass to commit violence. No ideology should be shielded from criticism because its supporters scream the loudest or threaten anyone who challenges them.
But the worst part is the distance between their words and the consequences people live with.
They stand there in their suits, collecting their comfortable salaries and putting on their rehearsed expressions of concern, while other people pay the price for their decisions.
The women afraid to walk home. The Jews forced to consider whether it's safe to show who they are. The business owners whose stores get trashed. The people threatened into silence.
For those people, this is their daily life.
And no, I do not accept "it's complicated" as a permanent excuse for paralysis. Of course these problems are complicated. That's why we pay people to take responsibility for solving them.
If the job were just condemning violence and expressing concern, an answering machine could do it.
What I want to see in Europe, Canada, and Australia is the political will to secure their citizens and their countries.
What I value about the current American administration is its willingness to act and use the mandate voters gave it. You don't have to agree with every single decision to recognize that determination and demand the same from your own leaders.
It takes balls to restore order. Because people hate it when their behavior finally has consequences. When the excuses stop working. When a political slogan no longer shields them from accountability for threats, vandalism, and violence.
And because a politician who actually draws a line has to be willing to become unpopular.
But what the hell is the point of having leaders who only lead as long as nobody gets angry?
Deport those who have no legal right to remain. Pursue deportation for foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes wherever the law allows it. Investigate groups that incite or carry out violence, and ban them when the legal grounds are established.
Prosecute those who attack police officers and people on the street. Make the penalties serious enough to carry real consequences.
Enforcing the laws we already have, and passing new ones when necessary, is the bare minimum we should expect from a government.
I want people facing threats protected, and politicians willing to fix laws and systems that are clearly failing.
Peaceful protesters have the right to protest. Violent protesters should be arrested. And demonstrations in support of organizations legally designated as terrorist deserve unequivocal political condemnation.
The rule of law also means people can count on the law being enforced. That you can open your business, go to work, wear your cross or Star of David, and speak your mind without organizing your life around people who threaten you.
It is outrageous that peaceful, law-abiding citizens keep being told they are the ones who need to adjust.
Hide your symbol. Avoid that street. Don't say anything. Cancel the event. Hire more security.
How much more freedom are we expected to surrender because other people refuse to respect it?
I don't expect a society without crime. I expect politicians who take the public's safety as seriously as they take their own careers.
Your salaries are paid by people who deserve more than another condemnation.
Use your mandate. Enforce the law. Have the courage to confront the problem. TODAY!
And if you can't handle that responsibility, stop asking for the power.
Did you get it? If not, read it again.