Unraveling the Republican's Jan. 6 Narrative: Fanning the Flames of Mob Violence
Daniel Johnson
The term "mob behavior" seems odd when describing a group vocalizing "Hang Mike Pence," clashing with law enforcement, and breaching the Capitol doors and windows to hinder the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. Despite the RNC's insistence post-riot that they were referring only to peaceful protesters supporting Trump's lies about a stolen election, their attempts to sanitize "right-wing violence" form part of a persistent pattern in the United States.
The Republicans' efforts to diminish the January 6 chaos are well-documented, from immediate attempts to shift blame to left-wing protesters to ongoing House Republican efforts to portray some rioters as "regular tourists" and a widespread campaign to depict the rioters as "peaceful patriots." It's crucial to place these attempts to soften the January 6 violence within the broader context of right-wing radicalization and government approval of future political violence.
The Politics of Violence
The characterization of violence as a "legitimate political discourse" was a central theme during the Trump era. Trump frequently endorsed violence, either encouraging his followers to assault protesters or condoning police brutality against suspected offenders ("You see them all getting thrown into the back of a paddy wagon-like you were just playing somehow. It's harsh, and it's not nice, but let them do it"). These remarks were often viewed as Trump's excesses but form part of a broader mix of political rhetoric and political violence.
Trump's comments following the Charlottesville fiasco and his reflexive defense of attending far-right groups linking up with neo-Nazis and White Power organizations fit this pattern. What's more significant is the strategic connection between "legitimate political discourse" and political violence. Organizers planned the Charlottesville rally, which ultimately failed due to a court ruling. However, Unite the Right attendees collected Tiki torches to prepare for a march through Charlottesville, linking intimidation and violence with calls for free speech in the aftermath of deadly political violence in Charlottesville.
The Republican National Committee's Deception
The Republican National Committee's call for a "legitimate political discourse" is an attempt to cloud the issue. By representing the January 6 investigations as an assault on free speech rather than a reaction to violence and attempting to frame the insurrection as part of the cultural war, the party is constructing a narrative of persecuted patriots who simply wanted to express their views without running into a destructive culture of protest-violence attackers.
In essence, the mob becomes the victim, and the victim becomes the mob. The right's protests against racial injustice in 2020 share the same twist. While there was initial conservative support for these protests in May and early June 2020, this backing has significantly waned. Instead, violent protesters are portrayed as champions of racial justice, while peaceful protesters are painted as insurrectionists.
It's not mentioned, though, in these right-wing narratives, that the protesters were reacting to rampant, lawless police brutality in 2020—often manifesting in deadly encounters not only with George Floyd but also with peaceful protesters across the country.
A Toxic Environment Encouraging Violence
Attempts to minimize, justify, and erase right-wing violence contribute to creating an environment that could potentially encourage more acts of mob violence in the future. If a mob can breach the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow Congress, intimidate representatives, and topple an election in the process—an act supported and abetted by both Trump and his administration's anti-democratic efforts—why should political demonstrators and persecuted heroes swear off violence? Why would they not view mob attacks as a form of "legitimate political discourse"?
References
[1] McKenna, M. (2021, January 13). After Capitol riot, Republicans shift blame to left-wing protesters, Trump. CBS News. Retrieved from
[2] Chad Day and Colleen Long, AP. (2021, January 10). House Democrats to debate article of impeachment against Trump over Capitol riot. The Associated Press. Retrieved from
[3] Kye-Roberts, R. (2021, January 6). The GOP's attack on truth, fueled by conspiracy theories extracted from the good old days. CNN. Retrieved from
[4] McCollum, M. (2020, December 15). Trump's actions may not end with his presidency. The New York Times. Retrieved from
