The defendants are held responsible for the state conspiracy and other claims, though the jury said it could not reach a verdict on the two federal conspiracy claims. Still, it’s a good day when some of the worst in the country are held accountable and subject to potentially crippling financial penalties.
The threat is far from over. But even if the defendants didn’t bring millions of jury reviews against them, or damages were reduced by the courts, the trial and its outcome sent a signal that in America, after all will be responsible for those bad summer days. , a message that has been so scarce since political violence began to increase over the past few years.
The money may never come, and the ideology will not go away. But this experiment should achieve at least two important goals. First, it had to think twice about others who had planned to make such brazen scenes public.
Second, it unequivocally and unequivocally asserts that what happened in Charlottesville in 2017, a landmark moment in American history, was a protest against the values of the country, expanding understanding Americans’ awareness of the threat of violence posed by right-wing extreme rightism, by clarifying what the violence in Charlottesville is all about.
That event was not the first far-right attack in the United States, but it opened the door further and in a new way to manifest armed political extremism, a threat that has been
growing and accelerating, culminating in the January 6 attack on the Capitol, a coup attempt, in my opinion.
The events in Charlottesville on August 11 and 12, 2017, are etched in the minds of many Americans. It was the first year of a presidency that ignited far-right extremists. The parade through the campus of the University of Virginia looks like
something from 1930s Nazi Germany, with tiki torches and chants of “Jews will not replace us,” “Blood and earth” and rigidly armed Nazi salutes.
The moment seemed to confirm our worst fears. The day after that chilling march, violent clashes between racists and anti-racists turned deadly when one of the defendants rammed his car into the crowd. protesters, killing one person and injuring several are now plaintiffs in this lawsuit.
After the right-wing Solidarity rally, Americans – and the rest of the world – heard the former president say with both sides of his mouth,
struggled to criticize the extremists among his supporters come
the joy of neo-Nazis. He eventually convicts them, but not without claiming that there are “some
very nice people from both sides.”
During the trial, the jurors were confronted with the abusive views of the defendants. These views are protected by the First Amendment, but the Constitution does not permit violence or conspiracy. “This is going to be a violent summer,” once right-wing icon Richard Spencer texted two months before the rally. (Spencer said that the test was
“financial paralysis”. “) On the rightmost message board, a man claiming to be”
JUDENJAGER, “Jewish Hunter in German, wrote, “we’ll see some serious scuffles at cville and we’ll see blood on some of this white polo lol.”
During this proceeding, several defendants spoke admiringly of Hitler and uttered the nth word repeatedly. One of the attorneys intentionally used the word k-e, an anti-slander, in an attempt to “
jury desensitization,” he explained.
America – and the world – needs to hear the message of accountability sent by the judges. After Charlottesville, far-right extremists became even more deadly. The following year, a man shouted “All Jews must die!”
boom in a synagogue in Pittsburgh and opened fire, killing 11 people. A year later, a policeman said
told them he was targeted Mexicans who allegedly shot dead 23 people inside a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas.
Formerly,
armed militia everywhere, protesting against pandemic restrictions and demonstrating in support of former President Trump’s bogus claims about the election. Militia member
plan to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
FBI said Racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVES) pose the greatest terrorist threat to the nation and found that January 6 “represents a willingness to use violence of some” to achieve political goals.
America is also awash with weapons, and many of them are in the hands of far-right fighters willing to use them for political ends. “
When do we use guns?“, an activist asked during a recent event by the right-wing youth group Turning Point USA. I mean, literally, where is the line? “, he asked again, ‘How many elections will they steal before we kill these people? “
If this isn’t scary enough, consider what we’ve seen in this very unusual week.
In a strange coincidence, three separate trials all dealt with the tensions and violence that have flared up in this country in recent years, which have reached a climax. In addition to Charlottesville, there was the conviction of three white men in Georgia for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man they had been after. And then there was the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager who showed up at an anti-racism protest armed with an assault rifle, which he used to kill two protesters during the protests. what he said was in self-defence, a claim the jury accepted. acquit him of all charges.
There is no evidence that Rittenhouse was an extremist, but this is a young man who – let’s say this again – shot two people dead. And despite the tragic outcome of his actions, Rittenhouse became a hero in the eyes of many.
His liver abscess including a meeting with the idol of the right, former President Donald Trump, at Mar-a-Lago. In a normal, stable society, he would have gone home and shut up, considering himself lucky he didn’t spend the rest of his life in prison. His supporters would certainly breathe a sigh of relief and perhaps have tried to change the subject.
His act, using a gun in the middle of a political protest, is being cited as inspiration. The members of the National Assembly are
compete to include him on their staff. One of those members, Representative Madison Cawthorn,
tell his followers after Rittenhouse acquitted: “You have the right to defend yourself. Be armed, dangerous and ethical.”
The threats posed by extreme rhetoric and violence have yet to go away, but in an environment like the one we live in, winning over Charlottesville is important. Coming just before Thanksgiving, it provides one more reason to celebrate, however cautious, during this perilous time.
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