Context matters. VDM protested over the safety of abducted children, not to score political points or demand a government’s removal just like you always do.
And let’s pretend we don’t know the reason why they’re holding weapons.
The state actually knows those genuine and radical protesters who have no interest in meeting with any government officials,they simply want the government to do the right thing.If it were any of our comrades, members, or people we mobilized carrying weapons openly like this in a protest,I can tell you that the state would have arrested and abducted everyone involved including the organizers because they know what such actions could eventually lead to. But with this kind of protest and the personalities involved, it means nothing to the state in fact, they embrace it.
By now, some of us would have been detained and sent to jail. If we had been caught arming ourselves with machetes, diggers, or any other weapons whenever we were attacked during protests, the consequences would have been severe. You will never see any of us carrying machetes or weapons at any protest. Whenever we are attacked, we would rather use our numbers to push back than resort to weapons.
Las las, ideology is key.