NAACP leads anger at double standards of police as AmeriKKKa trends: ‘And you thought taking a knee was bad’

The unprecedented scenes of hours of chaos and destruction from the Capitol as Donald Trump supporters made their way into the heart of American democracy have led people to compare the response to how last year’s Black Lives Matter protestors were treated by the security forces.

Activists and citizens took to Twitter to highlight the different treatment of those part of BLM, a largely peaceful protest after the brutal killing of George Floyd in May last year, with the way the police responded to the Capitol insurrection.

Hashtag #AmeriKKKa also trended on Twitter as the crowd of Trump supporters rampaged through the inner premises of the Capitol with several members of the Congress in hiding.

“And you thought "Taking A Knee" was too much!?!” tweeted the official handle of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAAC). Taking a knee became a worldwide symbol of Black Lives Matter protests.

Representative Cori Bush, a Democrat and a veteran of Black Lives Matters protests in Ferguson, Missouri wrote: “I’m remembering being brutalized and treated like a domestic terrorist just for protesting to keep my people alive.”

Representative Tim Ryan, who is in charge of funding the Capitol Police as the House Appropriations Legislative Branch subcommittee chair, vowed to investigate the law enforcement response to the rioters who seized the Capitol building. Mr Ryan said: “It appears to me on the basis of video evidence that the US Capitol Police have been infiltrated and compromised.”

Several other Twitter users also recalled the way they were treated during BLM protests. Twitter user Toni described the heavy-handedness of the police she witnessed during the BLM protests, posting a video saying: "Let me say this: I f****** remember 'cause I was there. I experienced DC police coming into the f****** McDonald's after macing Karon Hylton-Brown's mom and you maced children.”

Journalist Eugene Scott wrote: “What happened to: When the looting starts, the shooting starts"

Another Twitter user, Elizabeth, wrote: “Welcome to #AmeriKKKa where police use pepper spray, rubber bullets, and tear gas on: Native Americans defending sacred land and sources of water, Chicanos for wanting education and worker rights, Black Americans protesting police brutality and unnecessary deaths by the same.”

Another user, Melody Wilson, wrote: “Where’s the canines? Where’s the firehoses? Where’s the trigger happy fingers? Where’s the batons? Y’all had more energy when folks was walking across a damn bridge to be able to sip thru the same water fountain but y’all ain’t ready for that conversation I see #Amerikkka”

And another Twitter user, Griffin, wrote: “In Portland if we fucking touched the fence we got shot with pepper balls.”

The use of tear gas and rubber bullets were routinely witnessed during the BLM protests. The police at the Capitol, however, did not use it until the mob was inside the premise. The request for providing National Guard backup to the outnumbered Capitol police was also initially denied.

Several videos and photos circulating on Twitter showed the rioters walking around the Capitol casually with police passing by. President Trump, who repeatedly called the BLM protesters “thugs”, told the Capitol protesters he “loved them” in a statement on Wednesday.

So far there are have been over 50 arrests in the aftermath of the riots, with four lives lost.

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