. >> reporter: but for catholic priest father william o' donnell, who is also a an activist. that's not the case. >> we're articulate at best to communicate what the issues are. so it's intended to upset people if you will at least to get their attention. >> reporter: nonviolent protest as exemplified by martin luther king's marchs, is a way to get our attention. but what about when demonstrations turn violent. or when they interfere with the rights of other people to go about their business. >> to the degree that it isn't unviolent, it will really end up being worse than nothing. because people will say, they are here protesting for peace and they can't even keep their peace on the sidewalk. >> reporter: in the terms of stopping what they are against they can succeed in other ways. for instance by showing the world that not all americans think alike. >> why? because what threatens us is not weapons. what threatens us is hatred. and there's such widespread hatred of america in the middle east. partly because middle easterners do not know that there are some americans who are