Stern Comments on U.S. Capitol Siege in Bloomberg Quint
Jessica Stern, Research Professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was quoted in a Bloomberg Quint article discussing the January 6 siege on the United States Capitol by pro-Trump extremists and the Capitol Police’s readiness.
The article, titled “Capitol Police Left Open Path for Chaos to Take Deadly Turn,” describes the day’s events, how Capitol Policy and local law enforcement responded to the crisis, and how President Trump stoked the flames of this siege during a rally earlier in the day. While President Trump did eventually tell the violent protesters to “go home now,” Stern notes that his remarks and conspiracy-laden rhetoric had already taken root creating a powder keg waiting to blow.
An excerpt:
‘President Trump doesn’t say go out and attack the Capitol but he is encouraging people to believe that the election was stolen,’ said Jessica Stern, a professor on terrorism and white supremacy at Boston University. ‘The pressure has built up to the point they felt inspired to act now.’
The full article can be read on Bloomberg Quint‘s website.
Professor Jessica Stern is a Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. She is the coauthor with J.M. Berger of ISIS: The State of Terror; and the author of Denial: A Memoir of Terror; Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill; and The Ultimate Terrorists. Learn more about Stern on her faculty profile.