THE world watched in horror on January 6, when thousands of people rampaged on Washington’s Capitol Hill, the pinnacle of United States law-making.

Mob instigator No. 1 was no other than President Donald J. Trump. Like the Pied Piper, his tune of “stolen election” led rioters to converge on the District of Columbia.  

Lawlessness triumphed while democracy died for the day. The mayhem marks a day of infamy in the US, forfeiing its moral standing to lecture the world on democratic principles.

Reactions from around the world had been mixed, ranging from diplomatic messages expressing shock and sadness, to non-official criticism of Trump, to some caustic sarcasm.  

Some of the sarcastic remarks from individuals are noteworthy. Raoof Hasan, special assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, tweeted, “If the United States saw what United States is doing in the United States, the United States would invade the United States to liberate the United States from the tyranny of the United States”.   

Shariman Lockman from Institute of Strategic Studies and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia was more direct, stating, “You can’t get Covid right and you can’t get your elections right. You keep telling us how to organise ourselves, but you can’t organise yourselves right”.  

Venezuela, a nation frequently at the receiving end of US criticisms on democracy and economic sanctions, provided the biggest slap when Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said: “Venezuela expresses its concern over the acts of violence that are taking place in the city of Washington, USA; it condemns the political polarisation and hopes that people in the USA can open a new path toward stability and social justice”.  

While China’s state media had been careful in reporting the events without making political commentary, its social media drew some imaginative comments. One asked whether “the beacon has fallen”, referring to the oft-mentioned American beacon of democracy.

Caricature of the Capitol Hill mayhem came with the caption, “A beautiful sight to behold”, borrowing the words of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she praised Hong Kong demonstrators in 2019. Many shared pictures of the mob with the caption, “the most beautiful sight”, adding that it was “karma” and “retribution” for what the US has done to Hong Kong.   

This is not to be construed as pouring more sarcasm at US politicians and ridiculing them on how they handled the January 6 incident. The unfortunate has happened but should not have happened in any modern and progressive society.

Understanding how and why the incident occurred, especially how hate crime was fomented, helps draw valuable lessons. 

Hate crime is a prejudice-motivated crime that occurs when victims are targeted because of their race, religion, sex orientation, group affiliation, etc.  

A closer look into the mobsters at the Capitol Hill and how they were encouraged is eerily reminiscent of our own fragile and explosive ethno-political construct.  

The mobsters who flocked to Washington DC were from far-right militant groups – the Proud Boys, a white supremist and self-described “Western chauvinist” group; and the Oath Keepers, a paramilitary organisation whose members include many veterans of military and law enforcement agencies. Trump supporters unaffiliated to any group were also present.  

These Trump far-right loyalists have been fed with years of disinformation and supported by Trump and opportunistic politicians to secure their vote banks, and to mobilise grassroots support.

In the run up to the 2020 election, despite the states and much of the country implementing early voting and vote by mail, Trump had relentlessly criticised it as fraudulent and illegal. Fox News, right-leaning websites, and even some business newsletters had abetted that fraudulent call.  

The mobsters were hardliners with their action and thinking distant from the mainstream. They harboured deep racial prejudice. Their views distorted from mainstream thinking, and their behaviour far from being rational.

They remained insular within their network, thus, easily manipulated to hate and be exploited. Under such circumstances, only a spark was needed to set loose all hell and fury of a mob.  

That spark came from the president when he tweeted: “Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”

At the rally, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol to “cheer the brave senators and congressmen and women”, and “to fight”.

What ensued was mayhem. The mobsters were prejudiced in every aspect of societal norms. They had committed hate crimes.   

The events leading to January 6 at Washington DC have many parallels in our country – manipulation of political supporters to secure vote banks, insular thinking among those less exposed to mainstream news and national dialogue especially those in the rural areas, the use of partisan media, use of cybertroopers to provoke, politicians/parties outsourcing individuals and groups to incite, labelling political enemies as communists, and exploiting racial and religious sentiments.   

Pray that we learn from the unfortunate events in Washington DC and that hate crime never be allowed to take hold in our motherland. – January 14, 2021.

* Captain Dr Wong Ang Peng is a researcher with an interest in economics, politics, and health issues. He has a burning desire to do anything within his means to promote national harmony. Captain Wong is also a member of the National Patriots Association.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.