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Dear John,
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well. After the events of last week, I’m sure you may feel enraged, exhausted, numb, or fearful. But while these events were shocking, in many ways they were not surprising at all. Today, I’m writing because they represent a significant human rights threat, and we need your voice at this critical juncture.
Let’s not mince words — from day one, President Trump has embraced white supremacist and violent groups, and repeatedly encouraged violence and discrimination by his supporters, putting the rule of law and human rights at risk in this country. In the final stretch of his presidency, he and his administration have poured fuel on the fire with lies and misinformation, leading to the deadly attack against the U.S. Capitol.
I’ve spent my career fighting for human rights worldwide. And what concerns me and my Amnesty colleagues most about last week’s attacks is the violent expression of white supremacist ideology, which we’ve seen enabled at the highest levels of government.
Amnesty International’s on-site monitoring as well as video reporting by journalists show hundreds of people committed acts of violence — from assaulting police officers, to vandalism and property looting. The vast majority of those people were white, and many carried racist symbols, including Confederate flags and Nazi symbols.
Armed white supremacists aren’t going anywhere. In the lead-up to the Presidential Inauguration, we know they are reportedly planning additional shows of force at state capitols and government buildings across the country.
John, we must demand action from our elected leaders at the state and local level, who have power to protect people from armed groups — particularly white supremacist armed groups — in their communities.
Please, take one minute out of your day to contact your governor and mayor to demand they denounce white supremacists, prohibit firearms in Capitol Buildings and public spaces, and take special measures to keep communities safe from violence and armed intimidation by white supremacists.
We’ve put together a simple one-step petition page, and your letter will go directly to your governor and mayor: click here to take action.
Amnesty International has a 60-year track record of calling out human rights violations throughout the world, wherever and whenever we see them. Our sole purpose is to expose and end human rights violations — and when we consider what happened last week, we cannot sit back in silence.
Over the course of the next several days and weeks, we are focusing our efforts on preventing further violence and incitement by white supremacist armed groups and government officials, including the President. We have delivered a letter on behalf of Amnesty International USA to 3,432 mayors and governors across the country, and our research team is monitoring and responding to developments on the ground as they unfold in real time.
Your additional pressure will help ensure our lawmakers do not ignore our message, or fail to take action. Join us: send a letter to your state and municipal leaders, urging them to protect human rights.
Thank you for being a part of our work at this moment in our country’s history. We will continue to keep you up to date as we respond and as events unfold.
Sincerely,
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