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Not that anyone should be surprised, but we can add MSNBC’s Chris Hayes to the growing list of left-wing media figures trying to gaslight people over the violent protests that have taken place in cities across America in the aftermath of the officer-involved death of George Floyd.
Just hours before the widespread incidents of police being violently targeted by “peaceful protesters” Monday, here’s what Hayes had to say in response to Republicans including Trump calling the vandalism, rioting, arson, looting, and assaults that have taken place in cities like Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and New York domestic terrorism:
Calling what's happening on the streets domestic terrorism is both plainly wrong and insanely dangerous and irresponsible.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 1, 2020
Wow, really? And yet guests on Hayes’s MSNBC show and others were calling conservatives who showed up with guns to reopen rallies “domestic terrorists.” In fact, there seemed to be widespread agreement among Democrats that these people were domestic terrorists, even though there was not a single incident of violence, nothing even remotely close to what we’ve seen over the last week in Democrat-run cities like Minneapolis and Philadelphia.
Of course, the problem with Hayes’s claim about domestic terrorism as it relates to the George Floyd protests is that the destruction and chaos in the name of “Justice for George” is quite literally the very definition of “terrorism”:
— DCD (@DCDude1776) June 2, 2020
Are you joking? If looting, killing, and burning down police stations isn't terrorism, then what the hell is??? No one is saying the peaceful protesters are terrorists, obviously.
— Justin T. Haskins (@JustinTHaskins) June 1, 2020
Burning buildings, desecrating war memorials, indiscriminate violence, incitement to violence, thuggery, looting, and anarchy: What do you call it?
— Gad Saad (@GadSaad) June 2, 2020
This was DC last night. What word should I be using? pic.twitter.com/5cmKTzJsKd
— Qriist (@Scrounged9) June 1, 2020
Hayes didn’t answer. He was too busy continuing to rationalize the violence:
It's very weird to frame the question: "who's responsible for the broken windows and fires and looting?" as if there's a single answer across tens of thousands of people across the country.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 1, 2020
I've seen ppl who cleary have a political belief that destruction is a effective tactic and who plan and then execute it. Sometimes someone is just furious in the moment, or furious beforehand and plans it out, or a crowd urges each other on. Sometimes it's opportunistic mayhem.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 1, 2020
Last week, Hayes compared the violence during the protests to the American Revolution and also wondered why the Michigan militiamen were treated differently by police than the rioters, so none of this should really be too shocking. It’s disgusting, to be sure, but not shocking.
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