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USA: Congress certifies Electoral College result, Joe Biden to become President despite Trump’s numerous challenges

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Congress certifies Electoral College result, Joe Biden to become President despite Trump’s numerous challenges

The Electoral College vote has been accepted by the US Congress which has certified the victory for Joe Biden in the US Presidential Elections 2020 making him the president-elect of the United States officially. Donald Trump mounted numerous challenges but to no avail.

Joe Biden will take oath as the President of the United States of America on the 20th of January, 2021. Moreover, Democrats have won both the Senate races in Georgia which means that Joe Biden will enter the White House with Democrats controlling both the US Senate and the House.

There was great chaos and anarchy as the electoral votes were being counted. Surreal scenes were observed and Capitol Hill had to be evacuated after Trump supporters breached the premises. They entered House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s offices. But 45 per cent of Republicans support the storming of Capitol Hill and 69 per cent either believe there is not much to blame Donald Trump for or there is nothing to blame him for at all.

Pipe bombs were recovered from the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington DC and the media was attacked as well. Four people have reportedly died at the protests.

The Trumpian Reckoning: Trump presidency ends in fire and blood, what it means for the Republican party and the future ahead

K Bhattacharjee
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The Trumpian Reckoning: Trump presidency ends in fire and blood, what it means for the Republican party and the future ahead

The events at Capitol Hill will have great ramifications for US politics for a great time to come. The scenes that emerged from Washington DC were surreal and beggared belief. If 2020 was chaotic, then boy, 2021 is off to an absolutely turbulent start. What was even more shocking, to be fair, were the polls that emerged on the perception of the Capitol Hill anarchy.

Most would have been under the impression that there would be bipartisan consensus regarding the events that transpired. But despite unequivocal condemnation from incumbent US President Donald Trump, the Vice-President and all politicians and commentators in the media, there is significant support among Republicans for the storming of Capitol Hill.

45 per cent support what happened, 69% either believe there is not much to blame Donald Trump for or nothing to blame him for. On the contrary, an overwhelming majority of Democrats believe Trump is responsible for what happened 93% of them believe the protesters are a threat to Democracy. Such widespread disparity is not healthy for any country by any means.

There are also consequences that the Republican Party will have to suffer and it can be safely said that the people most uncomfortable from all of this are the Republican Establishment. Donald Trump is unlikely to be affected by the outcome in any manner.

Trump Presidency ends in Fire and Blood

Anyone who has been observing the Trump presidency would have always had it at the back of his mind that things could turn ugly pretty quick. Unhinged gaslighting from the mainstream media, the RussiaGate propaganda to delegitimize his political win and the legitimizing of left-wing rioting as ‘mostly peaceful protests’ was always going to have devastating impact on democracy in USA.

Therefore, it is hardly any surprise that it has come to this. There was just no way it could have ended on a positive note. The Trump base was told again and again that the election was stolen from their preferred candidate and that Joe Biden is an evil man. The incendiary political rhetoric did contribute to the anarchy that erupted at Capitol Hill.

When powerful elected representatives wish to delegitimize a president and oust him from power on flimsy excuses, they invent delusions such as Russian collusion. When ordinary people feel they have been disenfranchised and the election of a president is illegitimate, they engage in actions such as the ones we witnessed at Washington DC. In the end, four lives have been lost and the famed democracy of USA has been exposed for the sham it is.

To paraphrase a popular quote from Game of Thrones, if anyone thought this had a happy ending, they haven’t been paying attention.

Choices the Republican Party will have to make

It is widely known that Donald Trump was an anomaly even within the ranks of the Republican Party. The Republican establishment was never comfortable with Trump and the vision that he had for the country. A lot of them secretly hoped that after Trump goes away, they will go back to being the party of Bush and Romney.

A lot of them were perhaps even happy when Joe Biden defeated Trump in November 2020. There was very good chance that they could retain control of the Senate and would have a very good chance at taking back the House in 2022. Well, none of them are happy now.

The GOP can no longer return to being the party of Bush and Romney. The Republican base has no tolerance for such characters anymore. It is Trump’s party now and the Republican Party cannot hope to win any major election by ignoring the gigantic section of its base that cares deeply about illegal immigration and less wars.

It is also true that most of the elected representatives do not share the sentiments or concerns of the ordinary GOP voter. There is a reason why a maverick like Donald Trump was elected. It was because he voiced concerns of the electorate that had hitherto been ignored by the political establishment of both parties.

Unless those concerns are addressed, it is unclear how the party can move forward. Moreover, the party loss both the senate races in Georgia as well and with that, they have lost control of the Senate. It is believed that sections of the Republican did not turn up to vote and fringe figures such Nick Fuentes could be seen urging Trump voters to not vote for the Republican party.

There is also the fact that millions and millions of Trump supporters are convinced that the elections were stolen. They also believe that the incumbent president was betrayed by the Republican establishment. Will they turn up to vote red even if their concerns remain unaddressed? It appears extremely unlikely as of now but the future is uncertain and anything could happen.

The Progressives Conundrum

Amidst the chaos, let us not forget that there is an internal rebellion underway within the Democrat Party too. Only a couple of days ago, ‘Fraud Squad’ was trending on social media against ‘Squad members’ such as Alexander Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib because a significant section of progressives believe they have been betrayed by the ‘Squad’ as the progressive elected representatives bowed down to Nancy Pelosi.

Progressives such as Jimmy Dore and others demanded that the ‘Squad’ withhold their votes that were extremely necessary for Nancy Pelosi to be reelected House Speaker unless she agreed to hold a Floor Vote for ‘Medicare for All’. And when the ‘Squad’ did not do so, they were labelled a fraud. It might not have been a huge episode in itself but it might be a sign of things to come.

Just as the Republican Party will be forced to undergo a churn, a similar fate awaits Democrats. Donald Trump as president, ironically as it sounds, acted as the glue that held the Democrat party together. As long as he was there, the Democrat establishment could afford to brush all their own follies under the carpet. They could afford to ignore all calls for introspection after Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016 by focusing all their energies on the ‘Big Bad Trump’.

“There’s no room for infighting! We have to defeat Russian puppet Putin stooge tyrannical fascist Donald Trump!” That was the official Democrat line. It afforded them the space to ignore the concerns raised by the Bernie Sanders section of the Democrat base. But with no Trump to act as glue, they will have finally have to address the elephant in the room.

The Road Ahead

Following the chaos at Capitol Hill, Facebook and Twitter removed posts by the US President. Facebook said Trump’s appeal for peace posed further risk of violence and Twitter proceeded to remove three of his tweets and locked him out of his account. The censorship of the incumbent US President reveals that censorship will pretty much be the norm going forward.

Progressives should be concerned with censorship as well. Today, it is the Conservatives but social media will eventually come for them as well, as Jimmy Dore pointed out. We are likely to witness further radicalization on both sides of the political divide in the immediate future. And as we have pointed out earlier, the next four years at the very least is most likely to be defined by intra party conflict within the Republican and the Democrat parties.

It should also not surprise anyone if there is a harsh crackdown on Trump supporters in the immediate aftermath of the storming of Capitol Hill. They are clearly despised section of the populace in the corridors of the power and many might have been only looking for an opportunity to hit them hard. But progressives should not be too happy about that either. Because a crackdown on them could immediately follow.

After instigating chakka jam, ‘Farmer leader’ Rakesh Tikait says protests will continue till 2024

OpIndia Staff
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After instigating chakka jam, ‘Farmer leader’ Rakesh Tikait says protests will continue till 2024

The protesting ‘farmers’, who have stayed put at the national capital’s key entry points since late November to protest against the new farm laws, do not intend to end the agitation anytime soon. ‘Farmer leader’ Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union on Thursday told the media that they do not intend to end the agitation anytime before the year 2024.

“Teen sal chalega yeh andolan, 2024 tak jaari rahega” (this agitation will continue for another three years until 2024), said Rakesh Tikait, when a reporter asked him until when do the farmers intend to continue the protest.

‘Farmers’ led by BKU chief Rakesh Tikait take out Tractor March

After the seventh round of talks on agriculture laws between farmers and the Centre on Monday ended in a deadlock, the protesting farmers at the Singhu border have taken out a tractor rally Thursday. The BKU chief said that today’s ‘Tractor March’ would be a trailer of the ‘Republic Day Parade’ scheduled on January 26.

“Today, our tractor rally will go till Dasna, Aligarh road & then return to Ghazipur. This is a rehearsal for a similar rally on 26th January. Next round of talks with the Union Government will be held tomorrow (January 8),” Rakesh Tikait, Spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union, at Ghazipur border told news agency ANI.

‘Farmer leader’ Rakesh Tikait instigates roadblocks, urges opposition parties to join the protest

It may be recalled that Rakesh Tikait had last week urged the opposition parties to join the protests and had also called for the blocking of roads. He had issued a warning saying that so-called farmers will block both the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways too if their scheduled talks with the government on the three farm laws fail to address their concerns.

These two expressways are now the only route to northern India from Delhi-NCR as farmers have blocked the Singhu border on National Highway-44 which move towards Panipat. the Tikri border on NH-9 that leads to Rohtak and the Auchandi, Safiabad, Piao Maniyari and Saboli entry points have also been blocked by the protestors.

Modus Operandi adopted by the ‘farmers’ similar to that of the anti-CAA protestors

The modus operandi being adopted by these so-called farmers is an exact reproduction of what was taken on by the anti-CAA protestors last year. They too had warned of causing massive inconvenience to the public through ‘Chakka Jam’ in Delhi if the government failed to revoke the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Muslim woman denies abduction by Hindu youth whom she married, says will return to him only if he converts to Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim woman denies abduction by Hindu youth whom she married, says will return to him only if he converts to Islam

A 19-year-old Muslim girl from Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh, who had eloped a Hindu youth in October, returned to her parents and denied allegations that she was abducted by him as alleged by her family members.

According to the reports, a Muslim girl, a resident of Senganpur, had got married to one 20-year-old Akash of neighbouring village Kulgaon on October 12 last year. The lady had said to the police that she went away on her own and got married to the Hindu youth, who ran a cellphone shop at an Arya Samaj temple in Delhi.

Following the marriage, her father had lodged an FIR with Ayana police against the youth claiming that he had kidnapped his daughter with an aim to marry her. Inspector Lalit Kumar said that the police detained the couple and produced them in court on Tuesday following the complaint. The girl in her statement recorded before the magistrate said that she willingly went with the Hindu youth and he did not abduct her.

The youth had said that his parents were ready to accept their relationship. However, the girl’s family and relatives were against their relationship. The family members of the youth have alleged that the family of the girl started threatening them with dire consequences and subsequently approached the police when they learned of their marriage.

Will return to him if he converts to Islam, says the Muslim girl

However, the lady said that she will live with the man only if he converts to Islam and also expressed her intent to be reunited with her family. Following this, she was sent with her parents on Wednesday, the police said.

“In her statement before the magistrate, she said she had gone on her own. She also said that if the youth converts to Islam, she is ready to go with him otherwise she will live with her parents,” said Additional Superintendent of Police, Auraiya, Kamlesh Kumar Dixit.

Sub-inspector Devi Sahay said the woman’s brother approached the police on October 12, alleging that his sister had been abducted by the Hindu man the previous day. He also complained that his sister had taken away Rs 80,000 cash and jewellery along with her at the behest of the man. An FIR was lodged under IPC Section 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), he added.

The woman also denied that she was abducted, said Auraiya SP Aparna Gautam, saying that they will now examine her statement to the magistrate before deciding on the next course of action in the case.

Polygraph test of main accused in Hathras case shows his location around the crime scene: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Polygraph test of main accused in Hathras case shows his location around the crime scene: Report

In the latest development in the Hathras case, the accused have reportedly been made to undergo polygraph test. According to a report of Amar Ujala, it has been revealed in the polygraph test that the main accused Sandeep was present at the sport at the time of the incident. The report claims that Sandeep either gave a wrong answer or an unclear answer to the questions put up to him during the polygraph test. The questions asked to him during the test related to his whereabouts on the day of the incident.

From the answers given by Sandeep during the test, the agency concluded that he was present around the scene. The four accused namely Sandeep, Ravi, Ramu and Luvkush were taken to Gandhinagar, Gujarat by the CBI in November last year to get their polygraph and brain mapping done.

Family of accused had demanded narco test of victim’s family

The family of the accused had reportedly said that they had no objection regarding the polygraph test but they demanded the test to be conducted on the family of the victim as well. However, the family of the victim had absolutely refused to undergo the test citing ignorance about the same.

According to Jagran, Sandeep had claimed that he had gone out with his father on the day of the incident. The CBI had filed the charge sheet in the case on December 18 last year. The central agency had mentioned in the charge sheet that the victim girl was in a romantic relationship with Sandeep. The CBI had also found records of hundreds of phone calls allegedly exchanged between the victim and Sandeep. The accused were produced in the court a few days ago for the first time since the filing of the incident.

The incident

Last year on September 14, a 19-year old woman was allegedly strangulated. She later succumbed to her injuries on September 29 at Safdurjung hospital in Delhi. The accused were booked for murder. However, later charges of rape were also included.

Alt News cofounder caught spreading fake news on ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ amid US Capitol Hill violence

OpIndia Staff
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Alt News cofounder caught spreading fake news on ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ amid US Capitol Hill violence

Sam Jawed, who claims to be a fact-checker and is a co-founder of propaganda website ‘Alt News’, was caught yet again sharing fake news on social media platforms on Thursday.

The co-founder of propaganda website ‘Alt News’, which itself has a notorious history of spreading fake news to absolve crimes committed by radical Islamists, took to Twitter on Thursday to peddle misinformation about PM Modi’s alleged endorsement of President Trump in the run-up to the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Amidst the ongoing protest in the United States by a certain section of country’s population over allegation of rigged elections, the Alt News ‘co-founder’ shared a carefully edited clip of mega-event held in Houston, Texas in September 2019. Sharing the carefully cropped video in which PM Modi was allegedly heard saying, “We in India have connected well with President Trump. The words of candidate Trump, Abki Baar Trump Sarkar”, Sam Jawed tweeted saying “Never Forget”.

The meltdown tweet by Sam Jawed comes as a response after PM Modi, the leader of the largest democracy in the world, on Thursday advised the political parties and its supporters in the United States to not carry out ‘unlawful protests’ and also asked them to follow and continue the orderly and peaceful transfer of power.

The likes of Sam Jawed and her team of so-called ‘fact-checkers’, who often exhibit extreme hatred towards Hindus and the ruling government of the country, took the opportunity to spread outright fake news to claim that PM Modi had endorsed President Donald Trump at the Houston rally ahead of the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Did PM Modi endorse Donald Trump ahead of the US Presidential Elections? Fact Check:

Contrary to the claims of Twitter troll masquerading as a fact-checker Sam Jawed saying that Prime Minister Modi had endorsed Donald Trump for the US Presidential elections, in reality, PM Modi had never endorsed or tried to interfere in the 2020 US elections. The claims made by ‘fact-checker’ Sam Jawed is misleading as PM Modi was just referring to a campaign run by Donald Trump campaign team prior to 2016 US Presidential elections.

At the mega ‘Howdy Modi’ event held in Houston in Texas in September last year, Prime Minister Modi had reminded the audience as to how during the 2016 US Presidential campaigning, Donald Trump had said ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ while appealing to the Indian diaspora in the US.

Here is the full video of the speech, where PM Modi refers to Trump campaign in 2016 US Presidential elections.

PM Modi said, “We in India have connected well with President Trump, the words of candidate Trump, ‘Abki baar Trump sarkar’, rang loud and clear”. In October 2016, during the US Presidential election campaign, the then Presidential candidate Trump had said that the Indian and Hindu community in the US will have a ‘friend’ in the White House. Then, using Prime Minister Modi’s 2014 popular election slogan “Abki baar, Modi Sarkar”, Donald Trump had said, “Abki baar, Trump Sarkar” (This time, it will be a Trump government).

While addressing the Indian diaspora in the US, Prime Minister Modi had recalled the above campaign slogan by Trump, contrary to the claim that he was endorsing Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 US elections.

Ironically, the Alt News, which claims to be a ‘fact-checker’, has time-and-again caught peddling same lies about PM Modi endorsing Donald Trump.

Alt News has a history of peddling same fake news

Just like Sam Jawed, her boss Nirjhari Sinha – who seems to have no idea whatsoever regarding facts or fact-checking, had also resorted to spewing same lies about PM Modi’s endorsement to Donald Trump in the past.

After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made unwarranted comments on the ongoing farmers’ protests inviting sharp criticism in India, Nirjhari Sinha had taken to Twitter to bat on behalf of Canada and had gone on to ask what locus-standi did PM Modi have to cheer “Abki baar, Trump Sarkar” in Houston.

Essentially, Alt News founders, just like the Congress party and its media ecosystem, have taken upon themselves to peddle fake news to target PM Modi by cropping videos to suit their political narrative.

UP ATS arrests Rohingya man Azizul Haq living in India for 20 years using forged documents

OpIndia Staff
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UP ATS arrests Rohingya man Azizul Haq living in India for 20 years using forged documents

A Rohingya man illegally living in India for years using forged documents was reportedly arrested by Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh on January 6. The man named Azizul Haq was arrested by the ATS from Sant Kabir Nagar district and has been booked for cheating and under relevant provisions of Foreigner’s Act and Passport Act.

According to reports, the ATS is also probing Azizul Haq’s bank accounts in which he received lakhs of rupees on different occasions.

Had travelled abroad on forged passports

Haq is likely to be produced in court today where police will seek his custody, as told by ATS Inspector General GK Goswami who was leading the operation. Goswami said that Haq was arrested during a raid that was carried out after the ATS received information about some Rohingyas staying illegally in Uttar Pradesh. During the investigation, police found that Haq entered India from Bangladesh in 2001 and procured two passports using forged ration card and school documents. He has used the passports to travel to Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.

As per reports, besides two Indian passports, an Aadhar card, three debit cards, a PAN Card and a ration card has been recovered from Azizul Haq.

Haq’s family followed him to India after his arrival

According to reports, Haq brought his mother Abida Khatoon, sister Fatima Khatoon and brothers named Mohammad Noor and Zia-ul-Haq to India 2017. He forged their documents as well. Zia-ul-Haq in currently in Nasik. The ATS is now planning to get the custody of Zia-ul-Haq in order to interrogate him. Police said that Haq had gone to Mumbai after coming to India and had befriended a person named Inayat Ullah, son of a person named Badre Alam, a resident of Sant Kabir Nagar. Alam has told the police that it was he who had got Haq’s name included in his ration card.

A mobile shop named Naeem &Sons in Gorakhpur has also been raided by the ATS on December 29.

Trump supporter says he attacked Capitol Hill for Kashmir, becomes a hero in JNU

Rahul Roushan
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Trump supporter says he attacked Capitol Hill for Kashmir, becomes a hero in JNU

Via Getty, a Trump supporter wearing mask and headgear of a goat, whose picture storming the US Capitol went viral, has now claimed that he targeted the federal government building of the US to seek justice for Kashmir.

“This was for Kashmir. This was for capitalists oppressing the poor. This was a warning for Modi. This was not for Trump,” read the tweet by Via Getty that had attracted over 25k retweets by the time this report was filed.

In few subsequent tweets, Getty said that he was angry with Trump for supporting Modi over India’s policies in Kashmir, and he had actually stormed the US Capitol to pull out Trump by holding him by his golden hair, but was confused for being a Trump supporter.

To prove his point, Getty has said that it was him who was waving the lone Indian flag during the storming of the Capitol Hill. “It was to signal that my actions were in the context of India, not US,” Getty tweeted in reply to a person who asked what was the proof.

“Black Lives Matter, Muslim Lives Matter, Rainbow Matters, Agriculture Matters, Death to Racists, Smash Brahminical Patriarchy,” was the last tweet posted from the account that was gaining 2000 followers each minute.

Getty, a 21-year-old rebel according to the Twitter bio whose pronounces are “they”, posted his their clarifications on Twitter after his 12-hour block by the micro-blogging site was over. The tweet has gone viral and Getty now also has a blue tick i.e. their Twitter account has been verified.

The 21 years old rebel had updated his their profile picture that showed a raised fist in red background while the cover picture had a collage of various personalities including Afzal Guru, who had attacked the Indian Parliament in 2001.

Realizing that Getty’s act was no different from what Afzal did in 2001, and that for the right cause, various posters of Getty have reportedly been printed and pasted all over JNU back in India.

Various students and professors of JNU i.e. Jawaharlal Nehru University – a liberal safe space in Delhi where no one except a liberal is allowed to speak – have spoken out in support of Getty, and other possible protestors like him who tried to siege Capitol Hill, and hailed his/her/their/its actions.

“We have to make a distinction between people like Getty and other Trump supporters. One was trying to save democracy and speak up for the oppressed while others were trying to subvert democracy and carrying out a fascist agenda,” Mahmood Bhaskar, professor of neo-African Fairness Cream studies told OpIndia over phone.

“Getty hum sharminda hain, tere defamers zinda hain,” said a student leader supporting Getty and decrying all those who termed the 21 years old global rebel as an arsonist and criminal.

The JNU community, along with entire global woke community, is convinced that Getty is speaking the truth and was fighting for Kashmir, because they say so. “Them holding the Indian flag is indeed the greatest proof,” said a JNU student Anand Sanghnot, “Holding Indian flag but idolising Afzal Guru is not inconsistent – we saw during the Shaheen Bagh and anti-CAA protests.”

JNU will not celebrate Republic Day and will instead celebrate We Are All Getty Day, as per the latest reports.

USA: Frenzied supporters of President Donald Trump attack media covering the US Capitol Hill chaos

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Frenzied supporters of President Donald Trump attack media covering the US Capitol Hill chaos

The supporters of the outgoing US President Donald Trump have wreaked havoc in the nation’s capital leaving four people dead. The police in Washington DC, have arrested as many as 52 people after supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Hill building and disrupted electoral count. Amidst the chaos, visuals have emerged where the frenzied pro-Trump mob are seen attacking media crews.

Many videos have surfaced on Twitter, where the protestors, amidst “go back” slogans, are seen breaking the cameras and vandalising other types of equipment of the media, outside the US Capitol Hill building in Washington DC.

One man, wearing an American flag around his neck, can be seen heaving camera equipment into the air and smashing it onto a pile of the seized equipment.  

In another video, the enraged Trump loyalists chant “CNN sucks” while they vandalise cameras and other media equipment.

Nothing even remotely close to this sort has been witnessed in recent memory. It has been reported how Congressmen had to be evacuated as pro-Trump supporters breached security and entered the Capitol US in Washington DC. Capitol Hill is where the US Senate and House of Representatives are seated at. The Trump supporters have also breached the US Senate Chamber and have taken over the gallery. 

Two pipe bombs had been found at Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters in Washington DC and destroyed. 

Amidst the chaos, there are reports that an unarmed woman was shot by law enforcement authorities.

Leaders around the world condemned the incident, expressing shock at the chaos unfolding in a country. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi also termed the protests as “unlawful” and asked the United States to follow and continue the orderly and peaceful transfer of power.

45% Republicans support storming of Capitol Hill, 69% don’t blame Trump, polls show great political divide: Details

OpIndia Staff
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45% Republicans support storming of Capitol Hill, 69% don’t blame Trump, polls show great political divide: Details

The scenes at Washington on the day the US Senate and the House of Representatives certified Joe Biden’s November 2020 victory were absolutely unbelievable, to put it mildly. But there are polls coming in that are even more shocking. According to YouGov polls, forty-five per cent of Republicans support the storming of Capitol Hill.

YouGov Polls on perception to the storming of Capitol Hill
YouGov Polls on perception of the storming of Capitol Hill

One in five voters support the storming of Capitol Hill. Only 52% of voters believe the protesters were ‘extremists’ and only 49% believe they are a threat to Democracy. The political disparity is quite astonishing as there is great partisanship observed with regards to the manner in which the chaos was perceived.

65% of Democrats believe that the protests were anti-democratic while only 12% of Republicans believe the same. In fact, Republicans are more likely to believe the protesters are patriots than extremists, domestic terrorists, criminals or anti-democratic.

YouGov Polls on perception to the storming of Capitol Hill
YouGov Polls on perception of the storming of Capitol Hill

The same disparity is observed with regards to the blame awarded to incumbent President Donald Trump. 69% of Republicans believe there is not much to blame Trump for or there is nothing at all to blame him for. In stark contrast, that figure is 96% for Democrats.

YouGov Polls on perception of the storming of Capitol Hill
YouGov Polls on perception of the storming of Capitol Hill

Similarly, 93% of Democrats see the storming of Capitol Hill as a threat to Democracy while 62% of Republicans do not see it that way. However, Independents appear to lean towards the stand of Democrats in almost every case but significantly less staunchly.

YouGov Polls on perception of the storming of Capitol Hill
YouGov Polls on perception of the storming of Capitol Hill

The polls prove amply that what happened at Washington appears unbelievable but it did not occur in a vacuum. There is a genuine political divide within the country that is responsible for great internal strife. People on the two sides of the divide cannot even agree on whether people who stormed Capitol Hill, the seat of the US Senate and the House of Representatives, are a threat to Democracy or not.

Pipe bombs were recovered from the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington DC and the media was attacked as well. Four people are reported to have died during the ensuing chaos.

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