Read New America’s Voice Blog Post: “The Insurrection on January 6, the Great Replacement Theory, and the Ongoing Threat to Democracy”
Washington, DC — In a new blog post posted online, “The Insurrection on January 6, the Great Replacement Theory, and the Ongoing Threat to Democracy,” America’s Voice details the connections between the January 6th violent coup attempt and nativist conspiracies – both prior to the insurrection and ongoing.
The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“January 6th wasn’t just a tragic day that we should consign to the history books, but a potent reminder of the dangers of nativist conspiracies that are central to the ongoing threat to American democracy. The near-daily conspiratorial lies that we hear from politicians and pundits that make immigrants out to be ‘replacers’ and ‘invaders’ is a tool to justify an assault on our democracy. We must be hyper-vigilant against these lies if we are to safeguard against authoritarianism.
As President Biden speaks about democracy and the sacrifices near Valley Forge, we should never forget that since the founding of our great nation, America has been a beacon of freedom and hope for millions of people around the globe. Lest we forget, immigrants and immigration were and remain essential to the promise of American democracy and by overwhelming majorities, Americans agree that immigrants are good for our nation. Immigrants and immigration helped build America into the global power we are today, and the epitome of a multi-racial democracy.”
Below, read the key excerpts of the new blog post analysis on the America’s Voice website, “The Insurrection on January 6, the Great Replacement Theory, and the Ongoing Threat to Democracy”:
“In the years preceding the Jan. 6 attack, Trump and his allies spread nativist conspiracies to justify subverting a democratic election amongst their supporters. Three years after the violent coup attempt failed, those same anti-democratic nativist conspiracies have only further solidified in the Republican party. A year out from another presidential election, with Donald Trump on the ticket, he and his allies will continue to lay that dangerous foundation.
At the heart of GOP-endorsed conspiracies is the notion that the American electorate cannot be trusted with electing the “right kind” of political leaders because it has been compromised through immigration and civil rights. To use the current front-runner’s terminology, “the blood of the nation has been poisoned.” Illegitimate voters, the conspiracies posit, are stealing democracy from the legitimate white Christian voters. There is a direct throughline from far-right Oath Keepers in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2019 to the actions of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys convicted of seditious conspiracy for their attempt to undermine the democracy of the United States on January 6, 2021. The white nationalist movement believes in taking violent action to prevent “THEM” from “replacing” “US.” Jan. 6 was the stark manifestation of that belief.”
