The shootings will have consequences

The shooting in Washington sharpens the contradictions

Johan Mathias Sommarström

This is a commentary text. Analysis and positions are those of the writer.

Published 16.19

More soldiers to Washington DC, a stop to residence permits for Afghans and an uptight tone that is causing already infected contradictions to worsen.

The shootings against two National Guardsmen could have major consequences across the United States.

I can hear the murmuring: “So many reports of two injured in Washington when there are massacres elsewhere”.

But the shootings, the attempted murders, have already had consequences and threaten to fuel the polarization that has led to a tone-deaf and often tense debate climate where harsh words, insults and belittling of opponents are part of everyday language.

 

Two patrolling National Guard soldiers were shot a few blocks from the White House. Photo: Anthony Peltier/AP

President Trump, dose not have access to the word “just enough”, quickly called the attempted murders terrorism and crimes against humanity. Since the suspected perpetrator is Afghan and previously worked with US forces in Afghanistan, the president quickly declared that every Afghan migrant will now have their papers checked. All applications for residency permits from Afghanistan have also been stopped indefinitely.

Trump also took the opportunity to give the boot to former President Joe Biden, “the worst president in the history of this country” who allowed Afghans who served with US forces to receive special protection status in the United States.

Somalis also had to share the collective guilt and anger when Trump accused the group of “hundreds of thousands of people looting the country”.

The smell of gunpowder in the capital had barely dissipated before the US president ordered an additional 500 National Guardsmen to Washington DC. Since August, 2,200 National Guard soldiers have been patrolling the city's streets after Trump declared a "criminal emergency." A deployment that has sparked heated debate and been questioned, not least by the city's mayor and residents who have likened it to an occupation.

 

US President Donald Trump. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

Critics also say that the use of the military for law enforcement oozes authoritarian undertones.

What orders these new soldiers will receive is still unclear, but they will not have to pick up trash in public parks like those who were recently sent (for lack of concrete information).

Afghans, Somalis, Joe Biden and criminals in Washington will now be jointly held accountable for the shootings in Washington, along with immigrants and immigrants in general.

The already fierce hunt for undocumented immigrants and migrants who are being hunted in workplaces, in their homes and schools by merciless ICE agents is unlikely to be eased. Since Trump took office, at least 140,000 people have been deported in these ruthless raids that are both criticized and enthusiastically cheered.

Thursday's assassination attempt is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents with political overtones. The murder of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, the murders of Minnesota politician Melissa Hortman and her husband this summer, and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump during his election campaign.

All of the attacks were commited whit firearms in a country where it is easier to buy guns than a puppy.

It is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Around the dinner table, many are probably grateful for a short break in the American bitter debate. On the other side of the weekend, polarization is back, with statements and actions that slowly poison, drop by drop.

 

The National Guard patrols outside the Capitol after the shots. Photo: Rahmat Gul/AP