Sunday, January 31, 2021

Stop Sensationalizing the Threat of Right-Wing Political Violence

It's beyond question that the riot at the Capitol building-in which crowds of incensed Trump backers invaded Congress, interrupted the certification of the presidential election, ransacked offices, and provoked deadly fights-was an unprecedented security failure.

The riot at the Capitol was, to reiterate, a real and distressing display of mob violence.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer actually went so far as to compare the Capitol riot to Pearl Harbor.

The Capitol riot, by contrast, lasted a few hours and cost a total of five lives.

Nor can we compare the Capitol rioters to sophisticated and deadly terrorists such as those who pledge allegiance to al-Qaeda and ISIS-as retired Army General Stanley McChrystal did two weeks ago.

Some of the more sensational claims about what took place during the Capitol riot now appear to be incorrect.

What of Psaki's larger claim that there is a growing threat of violent extremism? It's true that we have seen an escalation of political violence in the United States.

https://quillette.com/2021/01/28/stop-sensationalizing-the-threat-of-right-wing-political-violence/ 

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