In Jerusalem in September, an Israeli miscalculation triggered riots which led to the deaths of scores of Palestinians and Israelis. The government, with fanfare and a military guard present, opened a tunnel for tourists along the edge of a sacred Moslem site. Former prime minister Shimon Peres commented that his government, well aware of the provocative nature of the action, had avoided opening the tunnel. Nothing stands between you and the muzzle of my gun, as the trajectory of this rubber bullet proves. If you persist in seeing rubber bullets as merciful, ask yourself why they are fired at unarmed demonstrators, when tear gas, truncheons and shields could do the job.
Symbolic violence is a means of inciting real violence while avoiding responsibility.
Symbolic violence may not kill people directly. But it often spurs people to kill, and even when it doesn't, it kills the soul. When the army comes and kills the dogs, the message is, you are less than a human being.