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U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson calls for an end to violence at and outside Donald Trump rallies
YOUNGSTOWN
U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson called for a stop to “the violence and hate” from protesters at and outside rallies of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Johnson, R-6th, of Marietta, added: “To those people carrying the Mexican flag at these protests: If you’re not a citizen of this country, your political opinion doesn’t mean anything to us here.”
In a 3-minute-and-27-second video on his campaign Facebook page – facebook.com/billjohnsonleads – the three-term incumbent said, “Americans discuss the issues surrounding our elections among ourselves. Your opinion matters in your home country, but not in ours.”
The video was in response to violent protests at a Thursday rally for Trump in San Jose, Calif., according to a statement from Johnson’s campaign.
Trump tweeted after the incident that “many of the thugs that attacked the peaceful Trump supporters in San Jose were illegals.”
Though Mexican flags were waved during the violence outside that rally, there is no evidence that illegal immigrants were involved.
There have been altercations between those who support Trump and those who oppose him. Some Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, that party’s presumptive presidential nominee, say Trump’s rhetoric is fanning the flames.
Earlier in the campaign, Trump said at rallies that he’d pay the legal fees of those who got physical with protesters disrupting his events.
On Feb. 1, Trump said at a rally in Iowa: “So, if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? ... I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise,” according to videos of the event.
In a Monday statement to The Vindicator, Johnson, a 26-year Air Force veteran, wrote: “Candidates who advance political ideas are not inciting riots. In a civilized society, candidates offer proposals and voters can criticize them or reject them. Resorting to violence is not a legitimate solution or reaction.”
Johnson’s 18-county district includes all of Columbiana County and a southern portion of Mahoning County.
Johnson said: “To my fellow Americans who disagree with Donald Trump, and there are millions of them, I say this: Certainly speak out, organize and air your concerns, but do it without assaulting others. When political disagreement turns to violence, we put at risk the very foundation of the nation we love.”
The Facebook video, posted Sunday afternoon, has more than 14,000 views with more than 60 comments 24 hours later.
Johnson is asking those who agree with him – “that people from other countries shouldn’t have a say in our elections” and that “in America, people should act responsibly, even in disagreement” – to sign an online petition at ListenLeadUSA.org.
Also in the video, Johnson said, “The Rev. Martin Luther King showed us how responsible and moral people protest injustice, and it wasn’t by spitting and punching or waving the flag of another country.”
In response to a question by The Vindicator about King rallies in which some supporters were assaulted by those who opposed them and some had police use attack dogs and high-pressure water hoses against them, Johnson said, “Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers faced greater danger and hatred than anyone faces today, but still responded peacefully and refused to allow that violence to stop them from peaceful demonstration and pushing the debate forward in this country. Their example should be one that today’s protesters aspire to, rather than sinking to physical violence to drown out an opposing voice.”