Ignore those two, they know not of what they speak!!!!
Actually, I like the area to the right, but it needs to be a little brighter. Not much, but a little. Bring a little more detail into it, kick this over to a nice, rich monochrome and you have a WINNER!
I agree, they are well known malcontents and, if suspicions are correct, actually agents provocateurs in the pay of a foreign power.
They should be watched - closely.
Your original crop is the best. Can you extend that dark area a bit more? It gives great contrast in color and texture. My first reaction was to crop 1/3 of the stack on the left, not the dark area on the right. Try to crop it so that the dark area would take app. 1/3 of the frame.