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Op-Ed JANUARY 15, 2021 | The Indian Eye 17

trump, impeachment and ban

on social media

Views and opinions from the top commentators in Indian media

eginning February last a lost authenticity of possession,
year Trump has unbend- one notified by the Confeder-
Bingly stuck to the line that ate flags that were in evidence
Covid will simply go away and at the site of the violent insur-
beginning November he has rection on Capitol Hill. That
continuously claimed election an Indian tricolor was also car-
victory. Such wild falsehoods ried by some insurrectionists, of
put him in a league of his own, course, carries food for thought
especially if he believes them for Indian citizens who may be
too. As Mitt Romney has said, as anxious about the new turn of
what happened in the US Capi- events here as there. One is left
tol on January 6 was horrifying- to imagine that such a display
ly an insurrection incited by the may, after all, have issued from
president of the United States the slogan ‘Ab ki baar Trump
himself. sarkar’.
His exit will in itself bring Badri raina,
a degree of healing. But many The Wire
of the 73 million who voted for
him will remain vulnerable to for public or elected officials’ global arena, this was actually “Trump was impeached on
a shadow presidency or a 2024 speech which is seen as being about the self-righteous, sancti- Wednesday for specific actions
he took from Nov. 3 through
candidacy. As Lee argues, the in “public interest”. Facebook monious, global busybody Un- Jan. 6, and because many mem-
goal is to change the circum- also has a “newsworthiness” ex- cle Sam taking a tumble. bers of Congress fear that he
stances that led to their faulty ception. These exceptions pose China did not mince its
beliefs. The social media can- a continuing problem for other words. The foreign ministry is a danger to the nation. But
cellations which have already countries that are still led by in- spokesperson, Hua Chuny- Trump had also given himself no
diluted his influence on the dividuals who incite violence. ing, harked back to the US re- room for error. He built no re-
news cycle, indicate that muting The question to ask is: What action at the time of the Hong lationships with any Democrats,
and relatively few with Repub-
his delusional narratives to grab happens the next time a world Kong protests of 2019. Speaker licans. Yes, many Republicans
back reality is certainly possible. leader incites violence on these Nancy Pelosi had called the An- were willing to tolerate him in
But either through a Senate im- platforms? Facebook might ti-Extradition Law Amendment exchange for his fealty to most
peachment conviction during leave their speech up, since it has Bill demonstrations “a beautiful
his presidency or criminal pros- left itself room to do so. Twitter sight to behold” and remarked orthodox conservative policy
ecution afterwards, he must might take it down, but it is not that Chinese President Xi Jin- goals, and because of the elec-
be held to account. To protect clear what counts as enough in- ping had been “really taking toral danger of a divided party
if they did not go along. Others,
Truth, begin there.” citement for an elected official’s China backward in terms of re- following the strategy honed by
editorial, account to be suspended.” pression”.
The Times of India chinmayi arun, Upala sen, former House Speaker Newt
The Indian Express The Telegraph Gingrich of tearing down insti-
“Trump has arguably been tutions, seem to have supported
inciting violence on social me- “When a big fella falls flat “Trump’s refusal to accept him precisely because he was an
dia platforms for a long time. In on the face, the other small, big the results of the American agent of disruption, chaos and
mid-2020, Facebook employees and middling fellas cannot help Presidential election of 2020 was destruction. But a serious work-
staged a virtual walkout in dis- but feel secretly thrilled. Last thus propagated not as a repudi- ing relationship with anyone?
tress over the company refusing Wednesday’s hurly burly at the ation of the democratic process Even Nixon had those.”
to regulate the US President’s United States’ Capitol Hill by but of an elite conspiracy to rob jonathan Bernstein,
inflammatory posts. In the past, Donald Trump supporters even the ‘real’ people of their owner- The Print
Twitter suspended another ac- as the Congress was certifying ship of the nation. The slogan Every week, we look at what
count posting copies of Trump’s Joe Biden’s victory, did not so that Trump gave as the culmi-
tweets for glorifying violence, much elicit shock and horror nating dog-whistle – ‘let us take the top commentators in the
while leaving the president’s as it did a smug satisfaction. In back our country’ – was thus not Indian media are talking about
tweets up. This was presumably the global arena, this extended to be seen as a seditious calling, and bring to you a slice of their
opinions and comments
because of Twitter’s exception way beyond Bully Trump. In the but an invocation to a return to

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