Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger compared the crowd that invaded the US Capitol to the Nazis and called President Donald Trump a failed leader who “will go down in history as the worst president ever.”
The Republican said in a video he released on social media on Sunday that “Wednesday was Broken Glass Night right here in the United States.” In 1938, Nazis in Germany and Austria vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses during an attack that became known as Kristallnacht or “the night of broken glass”.
“The broken glass was in the windows of the United States Capitol. But the crowd didn’t just break the Capitol’s windows, it broke the ideas we thought were right, ”he said. “They stepped on the very principles on which our country was founded.”
Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria, compared the Proud Boys – a far-right American extremist group – to the Nazis. Some Proud Boys leaders were arrested in the nation’s capital before and after Wednesday’s unrest.
In his video, Schwarzenegger called Trump a failed leader and said he was comforted that the Trump presidency was coming to an end and “soon it would be as irrelevant as an old tweet”.
He called for national unity and pledged his support for President-elect Joe Biden after mobs loyal to Trump invaded the United States Capitol, causing a temporary suspension of the electoral count. Later, members of Congress came back and certified the results.
Five people died, including a Capitol police officer. Dozens of protesters have been arrested and many more are being sought after the blatant attack.
“And for those who think they can overturn the United States Constitution, know this: you will never win,” said Schwarzenegger.
During the video, which lasts more than seven and a half minutes, Schwarzenegger compared American democracy to the sword he brandished in his initial role as “Conan the Barbarian”, which he said only gets stronger when tempered.
Schwarzenegger, best known for his role in cinema as the Terminator, was elected governor of California in 2003 during a special revocation election. He was later elected to a full term.
“I believe that, as shaken as we are by the events of the past few days, we will come out stronger because we now understand what can be lost,” he said, adding that those responsible for Wednesday’s riots – and those who fueled them – will be held responsible.