If, in a country of several hundred million, a few thousand fiercely dispute the legitimacy of the government, you might think the country isn't actually doing too badly. But a few thousand people, if sufficiently determined, can do a whole lot of damage. But orderly government is usually possible because the dissenters understand the futility of trying to force their way. But Donald Trump, an incumbent President who lost his re-election, proceded to tell his followers the election had been stolen and moreover, that they could do something about it. Eventually, some of them violently stormed the U. S. legislature. This documentary shows what happened. On one hand, it shows just a little of the context: we see Trump's last speach to the rioters, but not how he tried to persistently de-ligitimise the election result. We also get a lot of interviews with the rioters themselves, who are allowed to self-justify at excessive length. But we do also get a lot of film of the event, which shows clearly the true horror of what unfolded. However much the protesters claim to have simply been exerting their rights, it's clear that their actions, whatever their individual motivations, amounted in total to a full-on attack on the U. S. government. In the end, order was restored, but Trump was never held to account. And the worrying thing is that tyrants have throughout history seized power through the incitement of the mob. It's hard to avoid concluding that the modern Republican party has not decided to take the side of tyranny over democracy, which does not bode at all well for the future.
Review of Four Hours at the Capitol
