Student opinion: Carlson’s ‘sightseers’ – Peaceful rallies or political riots?

The events of Jan. 6, 2021 caused a stir in the nation, as several thousand Trump supporters protested at the Capitol speaking against President Joe Biden’s election and the suspicion that someone had tampered with the voting process. 

The crowd was made up of Donald Trump supporters upset by the outcome of the election. In the crush of the crowds entering the Capitol buildings, officers, both inside and outside of the building, were injured, and almost 1,000 of the protesters were charged for crimes they committed that day. 

Two years later, previously unseen footage was shown on Fox show “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” and both sides of the political spectrum were upset with the things he said about the protest. According to The Hill, Carlson referred to the protest as “mostly peaceful chaos.” These types of comments can be dangerous for the understanding of the event as injuries and even deaths were caused in connection to the protests. 

The New York Times followed the show, addressing the seven deaths that could be connected, some dying on the day from violence and others dying by suicide days after the fact. More than that, about 140 police officers were also assaulted. This day was by no means “mostly peaceful chaos.” 

People likely showed up that day only wanting peace and a beneficial protest, but by the end of the day, mob mentality had taken over and led to eventual destruction. 

Violence is rarely a wise result to handle a situation, and had the protests  been handled better, the outcome would have followed. Republicans like to judge liberals for their violent riots and aggressive  behavior, but they lose their ground to stand on when events like Jan. 6 happen. 

While the events have no doubt been amplified by the opposing side, which always happens in politics today, the protesters are not innocent. One piece of film Carlson showed involved officers walking part of the crowd through the building. Another recording showed the protestors slowly walking through the building and keeping within the red-roped boundaries. Carlson attempted to sweep the violence completely under the rug and act as if it was a calm and peaceful protest with only a few people to cause trouble. That is just not the facts. There were well over 75,000 protestors in the area on Jan. 6.

People on both sides are right to be upset at the new footage and the way Carlson handled it. Learning from mistakes is crucial to growth and change. The day ought to be remembered for exactly what it was, with no one making it more or less than it was, so that it does not repeat itself. 

The goal of the protests was hopeful change, but the day ultimately got too out of hand. In his comments, Carlson mentioned how the protesters were “sightseers” and not “insurrectionists,” according to NBC News. This might have been true earlier in the day, but, for a lot of people, it became more of a riot to express their upset feelings by the end of the day. 

Both sides of the political spectrum tend to view everything they do as ultimately good and everything the opposing side does as bad, regardless of any other factors. There is such a great division and hate for anyone with differing views and situations like Jan. 6 end up getting blown out of proportion because emotions take charge. Days like Jan. 6 could start looking like “mostly peaceful chaos” if people would start showing each other the love of Jesus and respecting those who have different views from them. 

Carter is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion