The world watched in horror Wednesday as pro-Trump rioters took over the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Throughout the hectic, often surreal afternoon, politicians, Capitol staff and members of the press were evacuated or hid as the mob scaled walls, broke windows and looted in legislators’ empty personal offices, repeating the false claim that Trump actually won the November election. Four people died.
American president Donald Trump, meanwhile, told rioters to go home and asked them to end the violence while telling them they were “very special” and maintaining, incorrectly, that he was in fact the rightful winner of the election.
People watching the scene unfold on social media were emotional, confused, and often disgusted. Many pointed out the privilege that allowed white protesters to infiltrate the Capitol, a markedly different scenario from the police violence and mass arrests against peaceful protesters who marched for Black Lives Matter over the summer.
Here are some of the tweets about how the violence at the Capitol demonstrate white privilege in action.