Millions of people across the globe watched as disgruntled Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, a symbol of American democracy, on January 6, 2021. What will undoubtedly go down in U.S. history books as an attempted coup brought forward an uneasy, yet necessary, conversation on white supremacy and the fate of democracy in the country. Meanwhile, Green Party politicians around the world took to social media to share their reactions, frustration, and anxiety as the events unfolded.
Green Party of the United States
In a press release from January 8, the Green Party of the United States condemned the riot in the Capitol instigated by Trump and his “enablers”, deeming it a “disgrace on many levels.”
The fact that these “white supremacists” were allowed to escalate the situation to the point of storming the Capitol is, according to the U.S. Green Party, an “insult to Black, Brown, and Indigenous People” who have been subject to police brutality while exercising the right to peaceful protest.
In an All Exits Closed podcast, Howie Hawkins, leader of the U.S. Green Party, argues that there is “no way” a Black Lives Matter demonstration would have gotten anywhere near the Capitol.
Furthermore, Hawkins notes that this was well advertised in advance. The “total failure” of the security agencies, according to Hawkins, must mean that there was complicity, which demands an “investigation and prosecution” of anyone who aided the insurrectionists.
Many Greens and allies who have demonstrated in Washington for peace, the environment, or social justice would tell you that they have never experienced anything close to the leniency offered by D.C security, according to the Greens in the press release.
“We are disgraced by how far this country has descended toward neo-fascism. Donald Trump is, sadly, only a symptom of that descent.”
– Green Party of the United States https://www.gp.org/the_capitol_riot_was_a_preview_of_trumpism_after_trump
Although a new president has been elected, the U.S. Green Party asserts that the actions of Trump’s supporters at the Capitol prove that Trumpism will continue to be fuelled by “constant corruption, graft and exploitation by the elite power structure.”
Hawkins believes that Trump should be impeached for inciting the riot, for there is “still a lot of damage he could do,” such as further insurrection.
The U.S. Green Party concluded the press statement by calling on the citizens of the U.S. to “win the fight to democratize our elections, our society and economy.”
Australian Greens
Adam Bandt, leader of the Australian Greens, posted his reaction to Twitter, mentioning how the events of the attack should make the Australian government realize that it is time for a change.
In a recent Facebook post, the Australian Greens called out Prime Minister, Michael McCormark, on how “he compared the attempted coup by far-right terrorists on the U.S. Capitol, to the Black Lives Matter movement protest of racist policing and politics”.
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand co-chair, James Shaw, expressed his thoughts through a thread on Twitter. He mentioned how the situation in U.S. politics should be a wake up call for countries all around the world, including New Zealand. He finished his thread with a quote by Martin Luther King Jr: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Federazione Verdi & Europa Verde
Europa Verde expressed their opinion via Twitter on the recent events. “Trump is responsible for the attacks on democracy that are taking place in #Washington at the hands of the extreme right,” the group tweeted.
Elena Grandi, co-leader of Federazione Verdi, showed her thought by retweeting Angelo Bonelli’s statement, implying that she agrees with his statement. “Four deaths, arrests and the sacred places of democracy outraged by violence. The person responsible for all this is #Trump. His words at the end of the rally were the order to the assault of the American Congres: Now we going to the Capitol.”
Green Party of England and Wales
In response to the Capitol Hill riot, the Green Party of England and Wales has called for a “renewed commitment to democracy” from citizens around the world.
For the past five years, according to co-leader Sian Berry, Donald Trump has displayed “nothing but contempt” for democracy. “He has flouted democratic norms and institutions, and worse, he has incited violence on the streets and online,” she said.
“The UK and USA consider ourselves global leaders of democracy but we have failed to renew and update our own political systems. The events of yesterday indicate the urgent need for serious constitutional review and reform of political systems on both sides of the Atlantic.”
– Sian Berry, Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
In concluding her statement, Berry emphasizes that we cannot afford to take democracy for granted anymore.
Norwegian Green Party
In a Twitter post from January 6th, Une Bastholm, leader of the Norwegian Green Party, called the storming of Congress “absolutely unbelievable”. “It is an attack on democracy, and the responsibility lies with Trump,” Bastholm wrote.
Although Trump was defeated at the ballot box, the United States has seen him continuously undermine democracy and, in turn, push it many steps backwards, according to Bastholm. It is fortunate that the United States has elected a new president, she wrote, but the damage to democracy and trust in government will “take a long time to repair.”
Europe Écologie — Les Verts
Julien Bayou, current leader of the French Greens (under the acronym EELV) took to Twitter as the riots unfolded, expressing concern for a peaceful transition of power in the U.S., a key component of free and fair democratic elections. At a time when news outlets were still unsure which terminology to use for the insurrection, Bayou was among the first politicians to talk about an attempted coup.
Les Verts Suisses / Die Grüne / I Verdi
In Switzerland, following the storming of the Capitol, the Francophone chapter of the federal Green Party commented on the “shocking images” and denounced the rise of far-right populism, on Twitter. In a tweet posted the next day, the party called for a united front against far-right supporters and sympathizers, inviting people to side with the cause defended by the Greens.
Belgian Green Party Ecolo
On their part, the French-speaking Greens in Belgium reacted to the stunning violence on Capitol Hill by reflecting on the “fragility” of democracy in a statement posted on their website. Condemning the stunning images coming out of the U.S. seat of government last week, and highlighting the fact that such images are not unique to the United States, the Belgian Greens reminded their followers of the need to nurture and maintain democracy.
“LEt us remember that no end will ever justify the means, and that attachment to the rule of law must remain our only compass”
– Co-leaders of Ecolo, Rajae Maouane and Jean Marc Nollet
Treating the shocking events at Capitol Hill as a lesson, the Belgian Greens from Ecolo emphasized that with every word expressed with impunity, democratic sense and the rule of law regress and weaken.
Co-leader of Ecolo Rajar Maouane took to Twitter to express her opinions about the riot at Capitol Hill, retweeting a post that blamed the incident on “4 years of populism and extremism” with the caption “The weight of words, the shock of photos. #TheFall”.
Turkish Greens Yeşiller Partisi
Koray Doğan Urbarlı, co-leader of the newly established Turkish Green Party Yeşiller Partisi was among the many political leaders to also take to Twitter to express their disbelief and plain shock over the images of MAGA supporters storming the U.S. seat of government and vandalizing American democracy.
In the tweet displayed above, the co-leader of the Turkish Greens questioned why a man with a bare-shouldered fur coat and horns on his head was standing over the bench of the U.S. Congress Hall. In clear disbelief, he continued to tweet and retweet about the astonishing event, asking himself, “what kind of age have we fallen into?”.
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