Le Regard Libre N° 31 - Jonas Follonier
On August 12, in Virginia, a 32-year-old woman died after being hit by a car deliberately plowing into a crowd of anti-racist protesters. The group had come to show their opposition to the gathering of several American hard-right organizations, including neo-Nazis, white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan.
They had gathered to demonstrate against the planned dismantling of a statue in Charlottesville: that of a Southern general defending Civil War slavery. Whether or not one supports the presence of such a statue, there was nothing illegal about the group's action, not even the carrying of their weapons, which is permitted in Virginia. What is unacceptable is their violence, which led to this woman's death.
An outraged Trumpian reaction
The indignation of the media, celebrities and politicians was palpable when Donald Trump, in his first short statement, turned the two sides against each other. By condemning the violence of both right-wing extremists and anti-racists, the American president once again showed his true face, we read: that of a dangerous, nauseating leader who was elected thanks to the far right.
Faced with an explosion of criticism, Donald Trump then declared in a press conference that he condemned white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other extremists in the strongest possible terms. «Racism is evil»: it was no longer possible to denounce his pseudo-connivance with the right-wing party. Since then, however, the President of the United States has reaffirmed his position: «I think there are wrongs on both sides». Enough to make Le Monde in France and Le Temps in Switzerland, to name but a few.
Violence on both sides
Let's think about this for a moment. What's so outrageous about condemning racism and its avatars, while at the same time denouncing the violence witnessed by so-called «anti-fascists»? Would we reproach Donald for showing nuance? Admittedly, he's not the most measured president America has ever known, nor the least vulgar; but by always wanting to criticize him, we end up condemning with the utmost vigor what, all things considered, may just be right.
Yes, there was violence on both sides, although one side, the neo-Nazis and other intolerable extremists, is more dangerous than the other. Yes, responsibility for the tragedy that occurred must be sought on both sides. The anti-racist left is currently violent in the United States, as we know, that's nothing new. But the fact that Donald Trump, who is likened to Hitler, says so, suddenly makes this reality scandalous. And it's denying reality that's scandalous. As Charles Péguy wrote, «one must always say what one sees. Above all, we must always, which is more difficult, see what we see.»
In memory of this tragically dead woman, and to escape the violence that is all too present in our world, let's not sink into ideology. Let us have the courage of lucidity.
Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Getty Images
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