Americans United Condemns Violent Invasion Of U.S. Capitol

Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued the following statement in response to today’s violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol:

“As an organization founded to guard the rights enumerated by the Constitution, we at Americans United join millions of Americans in expressing our horror and outrage at the violent invasion of our nation’s Capitol today by Trump supporters. The threat to our democracy and to the results of a free and fair election has never been more evident in our country’s recent history. We call on every Member of Congress to reject both the spirit and actions of today’s riot and immediately certify that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be our next president and vice president.

“Make no mistake: These rioters threaten every freedom we claim, including religious freedom. The noose hung on the West Lawn of our Capitol and the signs calling on Jesus only re-emphasize the unholy alliance of this president with White Christian nationalists. The same people who profaned Black churches in Washington, D.C., three weeks ago are responsible for today’s abhorrent actions with the blatant backing of the president they support. 

“We also question how this mob would have been treated if it were made up of Black and brown people or religious minorities. At this writing, few arrests have been made. As we go forward as a nation from this terrible moment, building equity and creating equality under the law will be one of the most important tasks that the new administration, and every American, must support.”

Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. Learn more at www.au.org.