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Donald Trump's supporters call for riots and mass lynchings over guilty verdict
Several Donald Trump supporters threatened rioting and mass lynchings after the former president’s guilty verdict.
Several Donald Trump supporters threatened rioting and mass lynchings after the former president’s guilty verdict. Many Republican public figures blasted the trial result as rigged," "corrupt," "ridiculous," and "bulls***."
What comments did Trump supporters make?
On right-wing social networks, Trump’s supporters made even more extreme remarks. "Take no prisoners," one user said on a Trump-related message board, while another said, referring to lynching, “Just give them the rope.” "The time for talking has long gone. Let them swing outside the courthouse,” the remark added.
Some of the posts contained coded language, for instance, one of them called for "short drops" – referring to hanging execution of individuals overseeing Trump's trial.
Another user added in response phrases like "short walks and long drops" along with the helicopter emoji, possibly referring to "death flights.” This is a term reportedly employed by right-wing leaders in Chile and Argentina to execute their opponents. "Someone in New York with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan," one post read, referring to trial judge Juan Merchan. "Time to start capping some lefties,” another post said. The posts were reportedly reviewed by Reuters.
MAGA supporters believe that Trump’s conviction is irrational and points at corruption in the country's political and legal systems. "One million men (armed) need to go to Washington and hang everyone. That's the only solution," one person said. One thread called on Trump supporters to "LEGALLY destroy the professional lives" of trial judge Merchan, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, and Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg.
"That's a lot of unnecessary words to say 'try and hang'," one person said. "All the ghillie suits in America, and you want to exploit our flawed and corrupt justice system. "F*** off," another said, referring to the style of camouflage gear that military snipers wear. Some other comments included "my AR-15 is legal", "rope", and "they have addresses. you know."
