Answer:
In shock and outrage over seeing white supremacists storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, many policymakers, members of the media, and others have called for rioters to be labeled as “terrorists.”
Many have also questioned the double standard that has been applied by the media and the disproportionate amount of federal dollars spent on stopping “foreign terrorists” – while white supremacist violence in the U.S. has largely been encouraged by the rhetoric and actions of the Trump administration.
Indeed, Black communities have used the word “terror” to describe and name the violence of white supremacy and state violence that they have faced for generations. So, why should we reconsider these terms?
To begin with, current usage of “terrorism” and “domestic terrorism” and resulting policies are part of the “war on terror” framework launched after 9/11. That framework has had damaging consequences for Muslims and Arabs. It has become an excuse to police, surveil, and entrap people within the United States—and, outside the U.S., justifies detention without trial, torture, denial of due process, disappearances, and assassination. The “war on terror” framework has also been increasingly used to police Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist protesters.
Step-by-step explanation: