If you don’t show your face in a political protest in a free country
OP sure did.
Oh. Sorry. Didn’t realize risking bodily injury from tear gas, rubber bullets, beanbags, and nightsticks because something fucking matters was cowardly. You bring up such eloquent and well reasoned points. I’ll keep them in mind the next time the police are kettling me or a Nazi throws a brick at one of my friends. I’ll say to myself “you know. We probably deserved this for being so cowardly”
Why is it cowardly? What do you think the purpose of a protest is? Your face does not lend a protest additional credibility, it just makes it easier to target you. The purpose of a protest is to show that people support a cause. Who those people are is irrelevant unless you plan to target them.
It is cowardly to hide behind a mask in a free country where you have nothing to fear of government from protesting.
I do however agree that it is sensible to mask in a country where protesting in and of itself will arrest and mistreatment from the government.
where you have nothing to fear of government from protesting
There is no such thing. Surveillance is something to fear. Tracking is something to fear. Lack of anonymity is in itself something to fear, because anonymity (i.e. privacy) is a right. It’s not just about arrests or physical abuse.
There is nothing “cowardly” about exercising your right to privacy.
If the position you are pushing is truly of no concern to the government, it means either that a) they’re on board with it, so it’s not actually a protest just a rally, or b) you’re not large enough for them to care yet. More likely, you just don’t realize they do actually care.
You’re basically just making a variation on the “if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn’t care about not having privacy” argument.