Biden warns US democracy ‘in peril’ as he
commemorates America’s war dead
President calls for empathy in Memorial Day speech and
warns that democracy is in danger
Biden urges Americans to reflect on ‘deep roots of
racial terror’
Edward
Helmore
Mon 31 May
2021 18.30 BST
Joe Biden
warned in a speech commemorating America’s war dead on Memorial Day that US
democracy was “in peril”, and called for empathy among his fellow citizens.
Speaking at
Arlington national cemetery, the US president, joined by first lady Jill Biden,
Kamala Harris, the vice-president, and her husband, paid tribute to America’s
war dead whom he described as making the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of
democracy.
But he
added that US democracy was itself in danger. “The mission falls to each of us,
each and every day. Democracy itself is in peril, here at home and around the
world,” he said, adding: “What we do now, how we honor the memory of the
fallen, will determine whether democracy will long endure.”
Biden’s
speech played out against a tumultuous time in American politics, which have been
shaken by four years of erratic and norm-shattering rule by Donald Trump which
culminated in the 6 January attack on the Capitol in Washington by a
Trump-supporting mob seeking to disrupt the formalization of Biden’s electoral
win.
It also
comes at a time of civic unrest sparked by largely rightwing protests against
shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the spread of conspiracy theories
around election fairness stoked by Trump and the far right and widespread
demonstrations against racism and police brutality.
Biden
centered his speech on the ideals of a democracy that thrives when citizens can
vote, when there is a free press and when there are equal rights for all.
“This
nation was built on an idea,” Biden said in his address. “We were built on an
idea, the idea of liberty and opportunity for all. We’ve never fully realized
that aspiration of our founders, but every generation has opened the door a
little wider.”
Since he
beat Trump to the White House last year Trump and many other Republicans have
sought to baselessly portray the election as having been somehow fraudulent.
They have launched scores of court cases and even a so-called “audit” of the
results in in Arizona’s largest county.
Republican
state legislatures have also passed local voting laws aimed at restricting
voting access that civil rights advocates say are aimed at communities of
color. On Sunday night Texas Republicans failed to push through one of the most
restrictive voting measures in the US after Democrats walked out of the state
House at the last minute. But other measures have passed in states like Georgia
and Florida.
While
politicians from both sides of the US political spectrum routinely speak of a
“battle for the soul of America” to describe their mission to voters, Biden’s
holiday address came as Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn
also said over the weekend that a Myanmar-like coup “should happen” in the US.
Appearing
before a conference of the QAnon conspiracy movement in Dallas, Flynn was asked
by an attendee if what was happening in Myanmar – in which the military
overthrew a democratically elected government – could be repeated at home.
“There’s no
reason,” Flynn told a cheering audience. “I mean, it should happen – that’s
right.”
Since
Myanmar’s military seized power in February, and detained the country’s
democratically elected leaders, at least 800 civilians have died and thousands
have been arrested.
Flynn was
fired by Trump in 2017 after it was revealed that he had lied to Vice-President
Mike Pence over contacts with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak.
He later
pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI, then withdraw his plea
and the justice department dropped charges against him. Trump later pardoned
the general. In January, Twitter banned Flynn from its platform in a purge of
accounts promoting QAnon theories.
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