The anti-neo-nazi protest that took place on Aug. 29 was intended to be a dignified display of Greensboro citizens’ unwillingness to allow such hatred to operate unchecked. The charged but peaceful atmosphere of the demonstration was punctured, however, when someone smashed the windows of a car belonging to a member of the neo-nazi National Socialist Movement. This incident questions whether such destruction stigmatizes nonviolent demonstration, or whether such instances of vandalism might be justified if the intensity of the protesters resolve fosters cooperation with the opposing party.

Public protests are often predicated, at least in part, on the necessity of affecting public opinion. Acts of destruction against seemingly just people, organizations, or governments can make the demonstrators and their movement look savage, out of control, and hypocritical in their disregard for previously espoused nonviolent principles.

I have found that a protest is not worth attending if it is born of negative feelings. Since humor is one of the most effective assaults on authoritarianism, all of the protests I have attended in Washington, D.C. have had a buoyant mood. They were a chance to voice disagreement with the war, but they also had aspects of high-spirited social gatherings.

However, despite the pervasive presence of nonviolent opposition, a few individuals at these protests would inevitably insist on souring the occasion by breaking the windows of nearby apartments and heckling the police.

Mahatma Gandhi’s first rule of civil disobedience is that those involved in a nonviolent campaign show no anger toward their opponents. Saturday’s vandalism was an instance where anger, either towards the neo-nazis in general, or toward the car’s owner, suborned the better judgment of the protester.

Refraining from violence shows the opposition that the demonstrators do not consider them to be a threat worthy of such strong emotion. The demonstrators’ calm strengthens their faith.

The destruction of property is needless and in fact harmful to the cause of the protestors. The efficacy of nonviolent action for colossal social change has already been proven in India, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, our own country, and elsewhere. If nothing else, let us remember those movements and their ideals as we strive toward a better world for all.