One of my first assignments for @hrw when I moved from #NYC to #WashingtonDC was to cover the "Unite the Right 2" rally in August 2018 at Lafayette Square.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/08/14/white-supremacists-see-friend-trump

The rally followed the first Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, where Heather Heyer was killed when struck by a car driven by a white supremist.

In DC, the group of white nationalists present received a police escort to the park. A Confederate flag was left behind.

Trump blamed “both sides” for violence between white supremacists and anti-racist counter protesters in Charlottesville.

Trump refused to explicitly identify, condemn, and reject white supremacy: "you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides."

Two years later, during protests over the summer, on June 1, 2020, Trump deployed national guard troops, who used tear gas & flash-bang grenades to clear peaceful protesters in front of the White House for a photo-op at the church across nearby Lafayette Square.

#WashingtonDC was swarmed with law enforcement and military personnel with entire city blocks cordoned off. Loud military helicopters circled the city. Federal agencies were deployed.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/05/us-stop-using-untrained-abusive-agencies-protests

"On June 2, 2020, the US government deployed officers from nearly a dozen federal agencies to control protests in Washington, DC, & other cities...The deployment of CBP & ICE raised particular concerns due to their histories of human rights violations and lack of accountability."

Police & other law enforcement officers' response to largely peaceful protests across the US, was in many cases, excessive force and other abusive tactics. In DC, they threatened demonstrators with military helicopters - a “show of force” to intimidate:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/05/reckless-use-us-helicopters-intimidate-protesters

Police targeted street medics protecting and caring for those standing for racial justice at protests across the US from NYC to DC to NC to Austin, TX. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/17/police-targeting-street-medics-us-protests

Last week, a mob stormed the Capitol. They wore symbols of hate, antisemitism, & white supremacy. They brought a Confederate flag into the halls of Congress.

Trump issued a video statement repeating falsehoods about the election, adding, “We love you, you’re very special.”

As @hrw said in a press release last week, "Trump’s Actions Fuel Capitol Riot."

https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/06/us-trumps-actions-fuel-capitol-riot

"Law enforcement responded to peaceful Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, DC, last summer with excessive force, dispersing the crowd with teargas and batons and intimidating demonstrators with dangerously low-flying helicopters."

"The mob had just come from a 'Save America' rally promoted by Trump & his supporters, including the far-right Proud Boys group...Trump repeated debunked conspiracy theories, said he would “never concede” that he lost the election, & urged the crowd to walk to the Capitol."

Then and now, the president’s words and actions on the question of race speak for themselves.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/08/14/white-supremacists-see-friend-trump