We Must All Renounce Trump's Dangerous Invitation to Violence

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page

12 March 16

his morning, Donald Trump defended his supporters' right to "hit back" at campaign event protesters – one day after a Trump supporter was criminally charged for allegedly sucker-punching a black protester at a Trump rally in North Carolina Wednesday. Trump explained there have been "some violent people" at his rallies. "These are people that punch. People that are violent people.”

So far, no videos have emerged showing any protester at a Trump rally acting violently. In addition, there are police officers at these rallies officially authorized to keep order.

At a Las Vegas rally last month Trump said “I’d like to punch him in the face,” referring to a protester who had been removed. Trump then told the crowd: “You know what I hate? There’s a guy totally disruptive, throwing punches, we’re not allowed to punch back anymore. I love the ol’ days. You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks.”

This morning Trump elaborated: "The audience swung back. And I thought it was very, very appropriate. He was swinging. He was hitting people. And the audience hit back. And that's what we need a little bit more of."

We need more of? We need more white crowds at Trump events beating up black protesters? More protesters being carried out on stretchers?

It is up to all of us to renounce Trump’s dangerous invitation to violence. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once observed, “we will have to repent … not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

What do you think?