Reckless Government Usage of Military To Suppress Protests
Published in Tokyo Shimbun
(Japan) on
by (link to original)
(Japan) on
by (link to original)
Translated from
by Dorothy Phoenix.
Edited by Michelle Bisson.
U.S. President Donald Trump deployed state National Guard troops, without the governor's consent, to suppress protests against immigration crackdowns [seen as] illegal in Los Angeles, California. Furthermore, the administration went so far as to station U.S. Marines. The administration's response to the protests is clearly excessive and an abuse of its legal authority.
The protests arose because of the Trump administration’s abnormally xenophobic doctrines, and the added dimension of deploying the military against the demonstrations has made the situation more extreme. Trump should immediately withdraw the troops and strive to calm the situation.
The National Guard that Trump deployed is generally under the command of the state's governor. In exceptional situations, such as when there is danger of foreign invasion or insurrection, the president can dispatch the Guard, but even in such cases, it is at the governor’s request.
But Trump deployed the forces without the governor's approval, and moreover, the Department of Defense dispatched the Marines.
Currently, California has a strong Democratic electoral base, and sitting Gov. Gavin Newsom is also noted as a leading contender to be the Democratic nominee in the 2028 presidential election.
The likely context for Trump's deployment of the National Guard without Newsom's consent is that, along with justifying his administration's xenophobic policies, in an ostentatious display of his own authority, he aims to shake up voters in the state, which is seen to have a large liberal electoral base.
The Trump administration has hinted at arresting Newsom, who has filed suit on the grounds that sending in the National Guard without the governor's consent is illegal.
An elected head of state who would turn the gun on his fellow countrymen and recklessly bully political opponents can no longer be said to be leading a democratic nation and is nothing more than a stain on American history.
While during his first term, Trump used military force to subjugate the anti-discrimination activist movement Black Lives Matter, he made no moves to quell the assault on the federal government carried out by his supporters in anger over his election loss, and when his second term began, he pardoned about 1,500 of the attackers.
On June 14, Trump's 79th birthday, a large-scale military parade will take place. In large cities with many Democratic supporters, such as New York City and Chicago, protest movements against presidential misappropriation and political use of the military are spreading. Anxiety about the future of the deeply divided U.S. cannot be suppressed.
The protests arose because of the Trump administration’s abnormally xenophobic doctrines, and the added dimension of deploying the military against the demonstrations has made the situation more extreme. Trump should immediately withdraw the troops and strive to calm the situation.
The National Guard that Trump deployed is generally under the command of the state's governor. In exceptional situations, such as when there is danger of foreign invasion or insurrection, the president can dispatch the Guard, but even in such cases, it is at the governor’s request.
But Trump deployed the forces without the governor's approval, and moreover, the Department of Defense dispatched the Marines.
Currently, California has a strong Democratic electoral base, and sitting Gov. Gavin Newsom is also noted as a leading contender to be the Democratic nominee in the 2028 presidential election.
The likely context for Trump's deployment of the National Guard without Newsom's consent is that, along with justifying his administration's xenophobic policies, in an ostentatious display of his own authority, he aims to shake up voters in the state, which is seen to have a large liberal electoral base.
The Trump administration has hinted at arresting Newsom, who has filed suit on the grounds that sending in the National Guard without the governor's consent is illegal.
An elected head of state who would turn the gun on his fellow countrymen and recklessly bully political opponents can no longer be said to be leading a democratic nation and is nothing more than a stain on American history.
While during his first term, Trump used military force to subjugate the anti-discrimination activist movement Black Lives Matter, he made no moves to quell the assault on the federal government carried out by his supporters in anger over his election loss, and when his second term began, he pardoned about 1,500 of the attackers.
On June 14, Trump's 79th birthday, a large-scale military parade will take place. In large cities with many Democratic supporters, such as New York City and Chicago, protest movements against presidential misappropriation and political use of the military are spreading. Anxiety about the future of the deeply divided U.S. cannot be suppressed.
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