Trump attack: what is fueling the political violence?
While the background to the attempt on Donald Trump's life remains unclear, all kinds of conspiracy theories are circulating online. Some say Trump staged the attack himself to aid his presidential bid. Others claim the Democrats planned it to avoid losing the White House. Europe's commentaries, on the other hand, examine the social and cultural roots of violence in politics.
Apocalyptic rhetoric stokes fears
De Volkskrant sees social division as the seed of the violence:
“A climate has arisen in which political opponents are seen not as rivals, but as enemies leading the country to its downfall. In such a heated situation extremists see violence as the only way to prevent catastrophe. ... However, warning against Trump is not the same as inciting murder. Polarisation is inevitable when the election victory of a president who has proven to be a threat to liberal democracy is looming. ... Supporters and opponents of the hard right are embroiled in a struggle for the soul of the country. In that clash between incompatible worldviews lies the seed of political violence, not only in America but in all Western democracies.”
Like in the movies
There is a culture of violence in the US, complains Avvenire:
“It's not wrong to ask whether violence perhaps courses through the 'veins of America', as many of its writers - and its cinema - have portrayed, creating an imaginary world in which a shooting at a White House candidate's rally shocks but doesn't surprise. The recently released and much-discussed film Civil War, about a modern-day power struggle between states that are loyal to the president and those determined to secede obviously drew inspiration from the confrontation between the two souls of a country which on Sunday afternoon took another step towards an irreconcilable political rift.”
The liberal centre must be more assertive
Extremists on the left and right are putting democracy under pressure, warns Interia:
“If you're asking yourself why the liberal centre or liberal democracy in general is in crisis today, why the West is faltering under the onslaught of populist extremes, why the far left and the far right are capturing voters with fears for the future, it's because the mainstream elites no longer understand their role, because they want to sit things out, are frightened and, above all, can be blackmailed: the right is blackmailing them with populism and moral rigour, the left with political correctness and a new puritanism. And both are winning with their brazenness.”
Europe not immune
Columnist Gallagher Fenwick points out in France Inter:
“The unanimous international condemnation of the attack is sincere, not least because certain leading politicians know that the spectre of political violence hangs not just over the US but also their own country. Here in Europe, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was the target of an assassination attempt two months ago to the day. ... The colossal number of weapons in circulation in the US increases the danger there, but the rest of the world must not convince itself that something like this could never happen at home.”
Listen to Martin Luther King!
Jurnalul National recalls the words of Martin Luther King:
“In the face of this attack, we must all rally around the fundamental values that define democracy. It is also imperative that both Trump's supporters and his opponents understand that violence and incitement have no place in a civilised world. In times of uncertainty we must remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr: 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.'”