The PSYOP of Riots

Mission High School, San Francisco, CA

 PSYOP is a powerful weapon and can be very effective on both sides of the riot equation: offense and defense.

We have all seen the pictures and videos of demonstrations protesting the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN. This picture is from the San Jose (California) Mercury News at: https://bayareane.ws/3eQqfE4. The use of PSYOP on the offensive side of rioting is quite a bit easier than on the defensive side.

 

First of all, you have a vulnerable target audience. In this case, almost two months of draconian Shelter at Home orders have fueled a caged in mentality. Add to that the frustration of years of perceived injustice and touch it off with a shocking incident and you have a proven receipt for violence.

Messaging is designed to inflame the beliefs of the target audience and push them over the edge. Messaging repeats and reinforces what they already believe. Messaging is simple: you are right to be angry and justified in your actions because you have been badly wronged.

 

San Francisco, CA 2 June 2020

Riots can also be influenced indirectly through proxies. Media reports such as CNN reported on May 31, 2020: “What we do and don’t know about the extremists taking part in riots across the US” (see: https://cnn.it/3gRPDeg) Foreign actors and domestic agitators are taking advantage of the current situation to accomplish their own goals directly by taking part or indirectly by providing funding and other resources.

Indirect incitement through social media is another PSYOP tactic. The Havok Journal, one of my favorite military sources ran an article on June 2, 2020, “We are the Useful Idiots” How Our Nation Divided is Playing Straight into the Hands of Our Greatest Enemies” (see: https://bit.ly/2AC1psz) This quote from the article pretty much sums it up:

“There are foreign intelligence agencies that are seeking to divide and conquer our country from within by turning us against each other and then fanning the flames. Russia, North Korea, Iran, China…None of this is theory or hearsay. It is concrete fact, it happens every day, it is exacerbated by the internet, and we are fueling it.”

Redwood City, CA Police Officer Takes a Knee

Playing PSYOP defense in riots is harder, but it can be done. Giving credit where credit is due, a Redwood City (CA) Police Officer took a knee then hugged a protestor successfully defusing a situation that threated to escalate on to Route 101, one of the area’s busiest freeways.

As a force, military PSYOP (Military Information Support Operations/MISO) can be used in support of Civil Military Affairs. Joint Publication 3-57 Civil Military Affairs, Figure II-1 lists MISO as an Enabler. Of course,  deployment of US Military domestically is fraught with complex political and legal complications. The key point is that military PSYOP/MISO can be an effectiveness multiplier in times of nature disaster or domestic turmoil.

Note another photo source: https://bit.ly/3dxPsmt