Donald Trump held a rally in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 to garner support from his voters during the transition period between administrations.
As the rally concluded, Trump encouraged the attendees to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to gain attention regarding “fraudulent” votes that ultimately led to the nomination of Joe Biden as President-Elect. Rally attendees were sighted arriving at the grounds around 12:15 p.m. until almost an hour later. The Capitol Building was breached at approximately 12:50 p.m.
Among the protestors in attendance at this riot were members of the Proud Boys, a violent, far-right white supremacist group. Photos and videos of these men yelling and getting violent were later posted on social media. While there were other inciting incidents to the violence, the Proud Boys have a reputation for getting physical to defend their beliefs.
The riot quickly escalated as law enforcement and protestors alike deployed chemical warfare and engaged in an armed assault. Sadly, among the violence, five lives were lost.
Right-wing attendees and spectators alike have publicly commented on the riot. They justify the actions taken at the Capitol Building by comparing them to the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred during the previous summer. There are striking differences, however, between the events at the Capitol Building and the Black Lives Matter protests.
At the rally, Trump riled the crowds by demanding the government reveal the “truth” behind the 2021 election results. Even though there is no evidence that the election was staged, right-wing conservatives insist that Trump was supposed to have won. The violence was further instigated as Trump took to Twitter to encourage his supporters to go to the Capitol and discover the truth. The riot was instigated by hearsay, by an adult man throwing a tantrum over his loss.
In contrast, the Black Lives Matter protests were driven by genuine concern. Of the murders committed by police officers in 2020, 28% of the victims were African-American. At first glance, this figure may be misleading, until one considers the fact that African-Americans comprise just 13% of the American population. African-Americans are three times more likely to be murdered by police in America due to their race.
Black Lives Matter protests were held in order to raise awareness of systemic racism, as well as to commemorate the lives of African-Americans who had been murdered by law enforcement. Buildings were defaced and stores were looted, but the overall driving force was desperation for peace and racial equity. The events at the Capitol Building were intended to harm and destroy what the far-right extremists considered a threat.
So what did these extremists find threatening? Their government and the process by which power is transferred between administrations. They sought to fight against the transference of the presidency – a key foundation on which the United States was built. When the legislation of the United States was crafted, it was heavily emphasized that the role of leading this nation would be handed to a new person every four to eight years.
The United States Code, the official compilation of each law of the United States, defines domestic terrorism in article 2331 as an action done by Americans with the intent to “intimidate or coerce a population, to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction/assassination/kidnapping.”
When Trump encouraged his supporters to fight against the election certification, he was encouraging one of the most violent acts against a government building in American history. The rioters at the Capitol Building aimed to change the election results by any means necessary, which directly coincides with the legal definition of domestic terrorism. The moment the Capitol was breached, these rioters officially became domestic terrorists.
Why weren’t Black Lives Matter protestors committing domestic terrorism? When they looted and defaced privately owned buildings, they were committing vandalism. The Capitol insurrection directly led to five people dying, and an armed militia storming into a government building. It seems that in their effort to “Keep America Great,” far-right extremists became the enemy they sought to destroy.
Photo courtesy of PBS
