WGAE Condemns Violent Attack on our Capitol and our Democracy

The following is a statement from the Writers Guild of America, East:

Incited by the outgoing President, an angry mob of far-right extremists invaded our nation’s Capitol this week with the express purpose of preventing Congress from certifying the results of the Presidential election. Many WGAE members have written about the dangers of hateful rhetoric and of vilifying people because of their race or gender, religion or political philosophy.  Our members’ warnings proved true with this violent insurrection.

We condemn this organized, pre-meditated attempt to thwart the will of the American electorate. We condemn those who participated directly and those who stoked the ugly flames of bigotry and delusion through their speeches, tweets and statements to the press.

As a union, we understand political passion and dissent. We understand mobilization and protest. That is not what happened in D.C. this week. It was a racist, authoritarian coup attempt, wrapped in the flags of the outgoing President and of the Confederate states whose mission was to preserve enslavement.

If the nation is to move forward, we must be unequivocal in our opposition to the anti-democratic, far-right demagoguery and the violence that inevitably follows. We look forward to working with elected officials who are committed to the rights of working people and to amplifying the voices of the oppressed. There is much work to do. Let us recommit to it.

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