Critics Decry Police Response to MAGA Capitol Mob Compared to BLM Protests

Protesters supporting President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Credit: Shutterstock)

After a violent MAGA mob stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday in what some are calling an insurrection; politicians, activists, and social media users pointed out the contrast in how pro-Trump protesters were treated compared to Black Lives Matter activists.

On Wednesday protesters breached the U.S. Capitol building, roamed the halls and fought with police officers. The NAACP tweeted video of a Capitol police officer taking a selfie with someone in the mob.

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That’s in contrast to last summer, when law enforcement officers used tear gas on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House.

Critics were quick to point out the difference and said it was all about race.

California Congresswoman Maxine Waters tweeted: “What would have happened if Black Lives Matter resorted to the kind of violence the proud boys , the KKK, the oath keepers, the white supremacists carried out today on our Capitol?”

Hamilton actor Christopher Jackson wrote on Twitter: “I’m in anger and shock from the events of the day. That man’s supporters carried a Confederate flag into our Capital. For any of y’all that think BLM or any other org that fights for civil rights, is too radical… SIT. DOWN.”

The Reid Out host Joy Reid said on her show, “Guarantee you if that was a Black Lives Matter protest in D.C., there would already be people shackled, arrested or dead.”

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Actress Olivia Munn tweeted, “These guys are engaging in hand-to-hand combat with police after storming the US Capitol. In other news, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Rayshard Brooks, Aura Rosser, Stephon Clark, Botham Jean, Alton Sterling and Eric Garner are all dead.”

Instagram user @ellencoule posted: “It’s like cops miraculously know how to practice restraint when they interact with white people. Racism is on full display in the U.S. today and the world is watching. #theworldisburning#theworldiswatching”

Twitter user @elianatheee wrote: “I don’t ever want to hear about BLM ‘looters’ again. The same people that dragged BLM for not being ‘peaceful’ are now not being peaceful and behaving 1000x worse??? Make it make sense.”

Other social media users said it came down to the rioters having “white privilege.”

Twitter user @Chikaokekeagulu wrote: “Not sure how white privilege works? See how police and security agents handled violent insurrectionists at the Capitol, as if they were tourists. No dogs, fire hoses, or violent suppression; those are for black folks. #whiteprivilege”

International activists also observed the difference in police response between BLM protests and Wednesday’s insurrection.

“It couldn’t be more clear that Black people are subject to intense repression by law enforcement and it’s actually unbelievable that armed people were able to get so close to the Capitol with firearms and inside the Capitol with firearms,” Sandy Hudson, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto, said on Canada’s CTV News Channel.

The mob stormed the Capitol during Wednesday’s formal counting of electoral votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s election win.

A woman was shot and killed by police inside the Capitol, and three other people died after suffering medical emergencies, the Associated Press reported.

Some members of Congress are calling for an investigation into the Capitol Police Department’s handling of the chaotic protest.