On January 6, 2021, people around the world were stunned seeing how the
US Congress was being vandalized hours after attending a rally that was
addressed among others by President Donald Trump. Exactly a week later,
Trump, accused of encouraging the insurrection at the US Capitol, was
impeached for a second time, becoming the only American president to have faced such a censure. He now awaits a trial in the US Senate.
His impeachment trial fate aside, and as he packs his bags to leave the White House, Trump leaves a legacy of a tainted record of failing to show leadership when it was expected of him and rather displaying immaturity, imprudence, and above, all blackening the shining history of American democracy.
No other US President who failed to win a second term ever
tried to cling to power the way we just witnessed. His behavior, not
surprisingly, has divided his own party, with ten Republican members of the House of Representatives voting for his impeachment during the January 13 vote.
An American media outlet, Quartz wrote: “Many in the rabid mob who
stormed the US Capitol yesterday came armed with a portable and potent
weapons: flags, large election banners, battle colors from the American Civil
War, neo-Nazi flare, Christian symbols, and a smattering of national and
state flags.”
Quartz narrated the background of all the flags and signs that were
shown and waved during the demonstration. All of them, in some way, were related to American history, beliefs and values.
However, another embarrassing aspect of the January 6 attack was the presence of an Indian flag while the pro-Trump crowd was ransacking outside and inside Capitol Hill. Viewers must have found it an irrelevant and unpleasant show, since India by no means, is a party to US internal affairs.
The Indian TV channel NDTV reported, “The Indian tricolor was spotted
among a sea of American flags during Wednesday’s Capitol Hill attack.” It
informed: “The violence began when thousands of pro-Trump
protesters pushed into the East Front of the Capitol grounds, many of them
carrying and waving Trump’s portraits or American flags. One video taken at
the scene shows an unidentified person waving an Indian flag alongside
dozens of red and blue ones. While some protesters held up the American star-spangled banner, others waved blue flags proclaiming Trump 2024. The
lone Indian tricolor stood out in contrast.“
Really, an Indian flag at an attack on the US Congress? There seems no logic for someone to wave an Indian flag in an event that was entirely America’s
internal issue. What did this person of India-origin, who on Twitter identified himself later as Vincent Xavier want to convey?
We saw people of foreign origin at a pro-Trump demonstration in
Melbourne, Australia as well. The Australian online media outlet, the Daily Mail (January 7, 2021) reported that the origins of those attending demonstrators were from China, Korea, Vietnam, and some other countries besides Australia.
None of those demonstrators carried or waved the flags of their respective
countries of origin; rather they carried the flag of America and portraits of
Trump and chanted slogans in his favor. In this case, there was logic for the
demonstrators to carry American flags, as the the event was related to the
US. This report of the Daily Mail predominately proves that Xavier’s waving of an Indian flag was, at least ethically, if not legally, wrong and he morally
compromised his allegiance to America. He not only surprised and shocked many Americans but also Indian Americans, many of whom took to Twitter to demand punishment to him. They also asked who appointed him to carry and wave the flag of India in front of the US Capitol.
American law enforcement and intelligence agencies should scrutinize and investigate why, for what reason and under whose instruction Vincent Xavier carried and waved India’s national flag on that fateful day.
In a hilarious post, comedian Vir Das joked at the flag bearer saying that a large crowd does not imply a “cricket match.” “Dear random Indian dude waving Indian flag at the #CapitolRiots. Every large crowd IS NOT A CRICKET MATCH,” Das tweeted.
Elsa Marie D’Silva tweeted: “This Indian flag amongst this mob is very disturbing. Punish the culprit for disrespecting my country’s flag.“
The FBI and other federal agencies are investigating the incident and have arrested more than 160 people while the hunt is on for many more. It is yet to be seen if Xavier will be among those who will not just face censure from his countrymen but also face American law.
Like all other Americans, I hope the incoming President Joe Biden will judiciously apply his intellect, vast experience, sagacity and prudence in running this great country by implementing his election promise to restore “civility and stability to American politics”, eradicate extremism, end the politics of color, ethnicity, creed and exercise his role to rebuild America’s image and make the world livable for all nations — bigger or smaller.
*The writer is a Bangladeshi-origin American journalist and researcher.
January 16, 2021
The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of Aequitas Review.
