Introduction to the Special Issue: putting the Capitol Breach in context

Abstract

ABSTRACT I introduce the contributions to the Special Issue focused on the Capitol breach of 6 January 2021, and suggest that the breach can only be understood in the context of a long and escalating conflict between Right and Left activists in the U.S. A milestone in this conflict was the interaction between police and protesters at the inauguration of Donald Trump in January 2017. Review of this interaction leads to the recognition that Right activists such as Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are locked in conflict with antifa, which is more than loose talk about Marxism and anarchism.