1/13
On the night of Thursday, May 28th, I was standing in front of a burning liquor store at the corner of E. Lake St. & Minnehaha Ave in Minneapolis. 3 days had passed since the killing of George Floyd by police. #velshi
2/13
I had been at that intersection for 6 hours watching the frustration grow. For 90 seconds, I described the scene, in detail, to my colleague Brian Williams, who was anchoring in New York City. But I was concerned... #velshi
3/13
The impression one might get from watching a police station overcome & of buildings burning was that of riot, or that Minneapolis was burning. But it wasn’t & I wanted to emphasize that the majority of the protestors were peaceful & not participating in any violence. #velshi
4/13
So I took an extra 20 to clarify that. And that 20 seconds is the ONLY part of several days of my reporting that right wing media continues to circulate. #velshi
5/13
An inaccurate blending of the events of those days became a regular laugh line for Donald Trump, who repeatedly told rallygoers some version of this story. That 20 sec. clip of my reporting, without context, made it to the floor of Congress as part of a hearing. #velshi
6/13
Here's the truth: most of the media did not excuse or condone violence, but some of us, like me, did work hard to contextualize it. There's a distinction between violent protests, and protests with violence. #velshi
7/13
So now, critics wonder, why is there widespread revulsion at the violence at the Capitol when I and others have spent months saying violence can be a necessary part of protest? For starters, the Capitol is not a liquor store. #velshi
8/13
Rabbi Yosie Levine of the Manhattan Jewish Center sent that line in a message to his congregants about the attack, saying of the Capitol, “when someone breaks its windows, it’s not criminal mischief. It’s an assault on democracy and decency.” #velshi
9/13
Violence must always be understood in context. The violence of the anti-apartheid movement, the Indian independence campaign, any violence at all that fights injustice, is violence with meaning behind it, borne of the failure of other means and methods of redress. #velshi
10/13
The killing of Ahmaud Arbery by white vigilantes in Georgia, & of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, are facts, authenticated & witnessed on video by millions. #velshi
11/13
Violence intended to spread democracy, end injustice & encourage fairness in the application of the rule of law has nothing in common with the wanton, anti-democratic riots of Jan 6, fueled by Donald Trump & Qanon conspiracy theories of an election that was stolen. #velshi
12/13
January 6th was violent insurrection in support of a coup attempt and should be met with nothing but universal scorn. The effect of violence the loss of life, property, & of the potential for prosperity cannot be ignored and has not been ignored. #velshi
13/13
To compare the underlying goals of protests about injustice that have become violent at their edges to an anti-democratic uprising, fueled by lies and conspiracy theories, with violent aims at its core is to ignore the truth of the matter. #velshi
You can follow @AliVelshi.
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