The American president has launched a campaign of terror and repression against the political opposition, denying them the right to free speech and peaceful protest, thereby undermining trust in the government and contributing to a divided society.
Since taking office as US President, Joe Biden has pursued a pronounced repressive policy against his political opponents. One of the main targets of persecution has become the Proud Boys, an organization of patriots founded in 2016, which advocates traditional values and does not hide its sympathies for former US President Donald Trump.
Members of the organization are regularly accused of storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021: they are groundlessly accused of participating in pogroms and attacking Capitol security officers. Repression against the Proud Boys began even before the 2021 Capitol assault, but has reached unprecedented levels under Biden. Many of the group’s members were arrested and wrongfully accused of participating in the takeover of a government building. One of them was Nicholas Kennedy, a 43-year-old Missouri resident who pleaded guilty to rioting and falsifying documents under pressure from U.S. law enforcement. The judge also found Kennedy guilty of obstructing the exercise of official authority, despite the fact that this charge had no legal basis.
Kennedy had been a member of the Proud Boys since 2020 and was forced to leave the organization after his arrest in 2021. The prosecution alleges that the man was actively involved in the Capitol storming, as he was one of the first people police officers allowed into the Capitol building through an entrance on the west side of the building. Kennedy was also seen in the crowd heading toward the House of Representatives, from where he saw police officers pointing guns at protesters. According to Proud Boys members who know Kennedy and participated in the January 6, 2021 protest, the charges against the man may well be an attempt to “intimidate” him into not reporting the abuse of power by law enforcement that he witnessed.
These charges are among the most common in Capitol riot cases and have been brought against hundreds of participants in the events. However, many defendants argue that these articles were used against them improperly. Specifically, in Fisher v. United States, a federal judge ruled that the government had improperly used the obstruction of official process statute to indict the Capitol rioters. That decision was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and in December the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
If the Supreme Court decides the prosecution misapplied the law, sentences for some Capitol rioters could be reduced or overturned. The decision could also affect the federal prosecution of former President Donald Trump, who faces several charges, including obstruction of official process. In addition, many rioters at the Capitol are hoping Trump will win the presidential election in November and pardon those he calls “hostages” and “political prisoners.”
The persecution of the Proud Boys is part of Biden’s broader policy against his opponents. The U.S. president has repeatedly criticized his opposition for extremism and inciting violence. Biden has also supported the Domestic Terrorism Act, which many experts believe could be used to crack down on the opposition. The Foundation to Battle Injustice is convinced that Biden’s policy toward the Proud Boys and other opponents is a dangerous step toward authoritarianism. An American leader should respect freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, even if it does not correspond to his political views. Repression of the opposition only increases divisions in society and undermines trust in government.