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Conservative commentator Benny Johnson yesterday had been demanding the Department of Justice to initiate criminal prosecutions of the persons who appeared in his picture-holding post-whether under the very statutes with which the January 6th Capitol rioters have been indicted. According to Johnson, the picture appears to be one of protesters and has sparked furious reactions on the social media platform-range from calls for legal action to vetoes for the comparison.
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The photograph posted had the following statement made by Johnson: “Every single person in this photo can be charged and prosecuted by the Department of Justice under statutes used by Democrats against January 6th protesters. Do it.” Perhaps the photo, while contextually vague, is that of a protest, so it could possibly be tied to the recent demonstrations. Johnson withheld the identification of the event or location, therefore opening the way for interpretation and debates.
Snappy responses arrived immediately and split the sides. One user sarcastically said, “Wow, look at all the hardworking families in this picture. Totally not military-aged males from another country being violent in the US,” insinuating that the protesters were foreigners. Another bluntly said, “Just deport them! They’re probably all illegals anyway,” ushering the harshest immigration enforcement.
Visibly more disdainful responses followed: one proclaimed, “Foreign hostile invaders deserve no due process,” followed by yet another: “Lock them up in solitary confinement. I believe that’s how this works.” These serve as stark indicators of an impassioned debate surrounding the protests and their responses from law enforcement.
Still, not all responses thrust themselves in alignment with Johnson. One Canadian observer scoffed, “America is TANKING morally and economically. A very good view from Canada,” condemning the political landscape. Another user raised the question to its selective enforcement: “Please show me the Federal building broken into,” implying the comparison was false.
The tone was sarcastic or mocking in some of the responses. One of them offered: “Isn’t that the Doughnut IRONMAN sat in in IRONMAN 2?” Another sarcastically recommended, “USA should learn from India on how to deal with violent protesters,” followed by an emoji of the Indian flag.
Much hushed murmuring trailed the drama toward the ones accused of standing idle. “Pam is doing nothing. I see no headlines of any arrests,” one alleged, then went directly for the officials: “@FBIDirectorKash and @AGPamBondi are spineless. They are always reacting to what is happening. They should anticipate.”
Johnson’s request for prosecution resonates on a deeper level with the tensions surrounding policing of protests and the double standard in law enforcement. Those attempting to forestall prosecutions of the January 6th events argue that those same actions perpetrated by left-leaning demonstrators are just dismissed, whereas supporters for prosecuting argue that the Capitol riot was different and especially egregious. The post itself-truly without any relevant specifics-is left up to interpretation by anyone willing to discuss. Yet more division can be sowed from this.
As the responses in recent days have shown, the debate is learning less about the photo itself and more about a language of deeper issues-of frustration with law enforcement, immigration, and political splintering. Whether the DOJ will go through with anything is yet to be seen, but it has eatable fodder for the discourse around justice, protest, and accountability: for whom, and why?
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Additionally, the climate change discourse has been spurred by various recent events alongside this controversy, such as the Antarctica ice reversal that has sparked heated debate. Furthermore, during Trump’s tenure, various reforms were highlighted that connected to these growing tensions, exemplified by Donald Trump’s fiscal reforms.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
