The Fire Trump Started |
It is clear that Donald Trump has been hoping for a protest that he can use to expand his use of the military and other militarized units. A protest, no matter how modest, involving people of color and the issue of immigration presents the perfect opportunity. Los Angeles may be that opportunity, although there is no evidence of a threat to public safety.
Trump has little understanding or appreciation for American history, so it is safe to assume that he also has little or no understanding of German history. He might not appreciate a comparison of his activation of the National Guard to deal with a small street demonstration in Los Angeles, and Adolf Hitler’s handling of the Reichstag Fire in Berlin nearly 90 years ago. Nevertheless, just as there was no justification for Hitler’s response to the fire, the Reichstag Decree, there was no justification for Trump’s federalizing of the National Guard to deal with dozens of U.S. citizens protesting the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In 1933, Hitler was bent on intensifying the violence on the streets in Germany. He received his opportunity in February, when a lone Dutch radical, Marinus van den Lubbe, burned down the Reichstag building to protest the injustices of unemployment. Hitler used this opportunity to persuade his cabinet to suppress the Communist Party and to arrest Social Democrats and trade unionists. There were hundreds of deaths in the streets of Berlin.
Van den Lubbe was guillotined shortly afterwards, and........