Once again, Trump loyalists fill social media with threats against judges

PRadically a day after the Colorado supreme court announced the decision to disqualify Donald Trump from elections in the state, on Wednesday, due to accusations of involvement in the attack on the Capitol in 2021, social networks and forums related to Trump were filled with thousands of violent threats against the judges responsible for the decision.

According to a report by the non-governmental organization Advance Democracy, cited by NBC News, an increase in “violent rhetoric” against judges and Democrats has been identified in the last 48 hours. These reactions arose, largely, in direct responses to publications made by Trump on his social network. Truth Social, about the court’s decision.

The emails, personal numbers and mailing addresses of the judges who voted in favor of removing Trump from the elections in Colorado were shared by several networks. Some messages, mentioned by the organization, express concrete and explicit death threats.

“This will end when we kill these bastards”wrote a user on a pro-Trump forum, used by many supporters who were at the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Another responded: “What are seven Colorado Supreme Court justices at the bottom of the ocean called? A good start”.

The publications also include photographs and links to torture methods, weapons, tutorials on how to make weapons and homemade bombs, among other violent evidence.

This has been a recurring form of retaliation by the former president’s fervent supporters against the authorities who try to hold him accountable for the alleged crimes he committed, whether police, judicial or political. NBC even describes that this is a “predictable and familiar pattern seen time and time again following legal developments against Trump”.

When federal police searched the luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for confidential documents that Trump allegedly took to the White House, a man who was involved in the invasion of the Congress building attacked an FBI office, carrying with him a semi-automatic weapon.

Members of the jury that accused Trump in Georgia of trying to overturn the state’s elections saw their addresses published online. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who appointed a special prosecutor to investigate cases of electoral interference by Trump’s team, was threatened with death. The cases happen one after the other.

In 2021, a VICE News report reported that there are fewer and fewer election workers in the country, due to the fear caused by extremist supporters of the former president and his ultranationalist and authoritarian policies, following allegations of electoral fraud in 2020 (which were denied by all official authorities and independent entities).

Speaking to NBC News, Daniel J. Jones, president of Advance Democracy, stated that the consistent frequency of these violent threats should concern authorities, in addition to those targeted.

“We are seeing significant violent language and threats made against Colorado judges and others who appear to have been behind yesterday’s ruling [dia 20] of the supreme. The normalization of this type of violent rhetoric – and the lack of preventive action by social media entities – should cause great concern.”he warned.

Jones further argued that Trump’s own statements about the authorities are fueling this wave of verbal violence – a speech that, on January 6, 2021, ended up having as a direct consequence the attack by his supporters on the Capitol, where five people died .

“Trump’s statements, which sought to delegitimize and politicize the actions of the courts, are serving as leverage for this violent rhetoric. Political leaders on both sides must condemn these threats and platforms must reevaluate their role in welcoming and promoting this rhetoric”, said the expert and former FBI investigator.

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