The full ramifications of the failed coup at the Capitol in January 2021 are yet to be felt, but we are finally beginning to see some concrete consequences for a fair number of the people who played a prominent part in the shocking and illegal attempt to violently overturn the results of the 2020 election. Just today, Enrique Tarrio, chairman of the far right neo-fascist Proud Boys, has been convicted of sedituous conspiracy alongside three other members of the group for their part in the riot, which led to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle hiding for their lives as a gleeful mob broke into the building where Congress sits. Even former vice-president Mike Pence, a man so right wing he doesn’t even eat dinner with women who aren’t his wife, was a target for the rioters, all because he retained the tiniest modicum of decency and refused to let Trump steal the election – something he continues to try to do.
While some prominent conservative voices have spent the last three years trying to argue that blatant attempts to upend democracy actually aren’t that bad, there have been plenty of famous faces who’ve made sure to let everyone know that the attempted coup will not be forgotten, nor forgiven. One of those is former Star Trek actor George Takei, who threw some shade at the recently convicted Tarrio by using the words of the conspirator-in-chief and all-round far right darling Donald Trump.
Takei has long been a vocal and consistent proponent against the increasing regressivism of the American right. Given that he was put into an interment camp as a child in the States for the crime of having Japanese ancestry, it’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about what dangerous, authoritarian political activity looks like. The fact he’s been a huge and loud critic of Donald Trump for years should also be a sign that, just maybe, the reality-TV-star-turned-sexual-assaulter and president isn’t such a good dude, and the path he led America down wasn’t one full of sunshine and roses. But, then again, that isn’t exactly hard to see unless you’re ignoring all the evidence – which, sadly, a large chunk of the American population seem intent on doing. Heck, even the nutjobs at Fox knew Trump’s election fraud claims were a lie, so it’s not like the proof isn’t there.
The former Star Trek star has been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks, taking on congressman Jim Jordan (who buried allegations of mass sexual abuse against a friend for years), the bribe-taking, porn-addicted, sexual assaulting Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, and some of the horrific anti-trans laws sweeping America (Takei is famously gay and a huge ally of the LGBTQ+ community). So, a busy few days for the Japanese-American actor, even in his old age.
The most recent victims of his moral backbone, Tarrio and the Proud Boys, are a strange bunch. The group is all-male, consistently plan and execute violent acts across the U.S., and are known to have links to various police forces around the country (as Rage Against the Machine so eloquently put it, “some of those who are enforcers are the same that burn crosses”). The self-proclaimed “western chauvanists” (read: white supremacists) are also known for their adoption of Nazi imagery and strange rules around when they can and cannot masturbate (yes, you read that correctly). Their social media pages are often flooded with antisemitic and other racist tropes, and while chairman Tarrio and a few other prominent members are non-white, the aim of the group is clear: a white ethnonationalist state. If you think that’s confusing, please see Candice Owens, British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and Dinesh D’souza.
While it is cathartic (and right) to see the members of these dangerous groups actually face consequences for their role in the uprising, many think the punishments they’re receiving are too lenient. Others agree with that sentiment, and also believe that the ringleaders who weren’t on the ground but played a huge part in fanning the seditious flames — such as Trump, and other famous Conservative voices — should be tried for their role in inciting the mob.
The phrase “stochastic terrorism” has been thrown around a lot with regards to these types of people, and rightly so. However, it has to be remembered that this is America, and rich people — especially conservative rich people — more often than not get away with crimes, even attempted Fascist coups. Just ask the Bush family.
Footsoldiers of the attempted coup like the Proud Boys haven’t been totally abandoned by their compatriots, either. Georgia congresswoman and famous caricature of an insane politician Marjorie Taylor Greene has been vocally on their side, so much so that she’s even visited some of the jailed insurrectionists and sang some songs with them. This has led to her inadvertantly making a very valid and pressing point about the conditions of U.S. prisons, but as they say, a stopped racist is right twice a day, or something like that.
The phrase that Takei is referencing in his tweet was taken from Trump, who famously told baying far right mobs to “stand back and stand by” in late 2020. While a lot of what the former Apprentice star says is simply word vomit spewing from an addled brain, this was in specific response to a question about far-right groups and their role in the rise of political violence in America. Trump claimed the violence was “from the left wing,” despite just days before those comments the then- (and current) FBI Director Christopher Wray told a congressional panel that white supremacists were responsible for the majority of recent deadly, extremist attacks within the U.S.
At the time, the Proud Boys reacted jubilantly to the call out from their hero. A Telegram channel with thousands of members of the group posted “Stand Up” and “Stand By” on either side of the group’s logo. Now, they might not be so effusive about repeating the words that have landed a fair few of them (and the other rioters) in jail cells. So, at least we can laugh at that.
