Capitol Riot Police Threatened, Harassed & Mocked By Conservatives ─ But Blue Lives Matter, Right?

The hypocrisy is evident.

capitol riots Lev Radin / Shutterstock
Advertisement

Republicans' claims to “Back The Blue” and their chants of “Blue Lives Matter” are coming back to haunt them in the midst of the congressional investigation into the Capitol insurrection.

Conservative reaction to the emotional testimony of four frontline police officers who were attacked during the riot has betrayed the hypocrisy in how law enforcement is viewed by the right-wing. 

What police testimony revealed about the Capitol attacks. 

In the chilling testimony, the officers detailed how mobs of Trump supporters beat them to the ground and knocked them unconscious. 

Advertisement

RELATED: 6 Pieces Of Evidence That Prove Trump Is Guilty Of Inciting The Capitol Riots — And Should Be Impeached

The supporters of the former President who once said, “An attack on law enforcement is an attack on all Americans,” left the officers fearing for their lives during the January 6 attack.

Advertisement

U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said, through tears, that the insurrectionists even waved “Blue Lives Matter” flags as they attacked him.

The mistreatment of the police has continued amongst Republicans and conservatives even after the attacks. 

The GOP has largely dismissed any opportunity to restate their respect for one of the last remaining pillars they claim to support. 

Twenty-one members of the party voted against honoring the police officers involved in the attack. These members included Reps. Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Thomas Massie who have all had a history of supporting police... when it suits them.

The party who once claimed to support law enforcement has refused to acknowledge the severity of the insurrection, becoming apologists for those who attack police officers.

Advertisement

Even a Fox News host mocked the Capitol police. 

Over on Fox, the true voices of the right-wing, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, hosted a mockery of the police testimony by piecing together redacted clips showing the less violent moments of the attack. 

Ingraham issued a trophy that read "best political performance" to Harry Dunn, a Black U.S. Capitol police officer, who said protestors chanted the N-word at him.

RELATED: Oath Keeper Graydon Young Is Very Sad That He Was Caught Attacking The Capitol And Punished

"The award for blatant use of party politics when facts fail, the Angle award goes to Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn," she added. 

Advertisement

Carlson went on to laugh in the face of Officer Michael Fanone, a police officer who suffered a heart attack after the incident. 

What does Blue Lives Matter really mean to Republicans?

The true sentiment behind the Republican interpretation of “Blue Lives Matter” is glaringly obvious in this context. 

Advertisement

The phrase, which was invented to challenge the “Black Lives Matter” movement, is so unequally applied that conservatives might as well just say with the really mean ─ blue lives only matter if they’re taking Black lives. 

The GOP has been consistently critical of Democrats for their lack of “law and order,” yet shrink away from any defense of the police when it means condemning their own. 

RELATED: The Most Terrifying Tweets From Inside The Capitol During The Riots As Far-Right Mobs Stormed The Building

Advertisement

Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.