Rarely has someone witnessed a larger, more enraged group of people chanting in unison than at the anti-Trump protests following his victory. The anger that fueled hordes of protesters as they chanted outside Donald Trump’s lair was incredible, and I could not help but feel invigorated by the unifying sense of disgust towards this hateful man. There are, however, some problems with the manner of this protest — the most significant being that it brought people together through hate. Trump is a vile demagogue whose behavior has warranted this hatred, but it is impossible to be legitimately productive if we continue to find solidarity in hate.

The aspect of these recent rallies that encapsulates this unfavorable mindset is the chanting. When there are people chanting “hands too small, can’t build a wall” and “lock him up!” it effectively makes the point that Trump is in no way welcome as a president, but it also wastes the potential of the big crowd. If we want to show the United States government that we the people will stand strong and unified against tyranny, then we cannot use hate to bring people together. We need to constantly be expressing our solidarity with all people threatened by Trump’s rule in order to make real progress. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous quote about light driving out darkness comes to mind, and it is as important as it has ever been to remember that matching the animosity of Trump and his supporters with more hatred will only damage the country even more.

This sentiment still rings true today. Following the devastating Paris terrorist attacks that took place one year ago, Parisians could have responded immediately to this ordeal by channeling their fury into anti-ISIS chants and protests. They instead chose to profess unity in the tragic time with the slogan “Nous Sommes Unis,” or “We Are United.” By using love and solidarity as a means of bringing people together, they showed that the terrorists failed in their mission to breed more hate and instill fear in the people of France. The result of this was the firm and impenetrable sentiment, demonstrated in a powerful video of French Muslim students saying, “They wanted France to be weak. They made our French hearts strong.”

We can learn from how France, as a nation, dealt with a crisis that could have driven them apart. Protesters have also chanted messages of love and unity such as “The people, united, will never be defeated” and “Love trumps hate,” but we must make this unity the sole purpose of protest. Only then can anything be accomplished. Hate may bring us together, but love can strengthen our resolve and make the American people a legitimate and consequential voice of dissent against the new administration.

Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of WSN, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.

Email Jack Campbell at [email protected].