After defending an army veteran who mortally shot a Black Lives Matter agitator in 2020, MSNBC host Joy Reid blamed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for “bringing back lynching.”
Daniel Perry, age 37, was found guilty of murdering Garrett Foster, age 28, during a demonstration in Austin, Texas. After Foster and other protesters encircled Perry’s vehicle, Perry’s defense said he gunned down Foster in self-defense.
Abbott’s Reaction
Governor Abbott posted on Saturday that he was moving to free Perry, citing Perry’s right to stand his ground.
I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry. pic.twitter.com/HydwdzneMU
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 8, 2023
Joy Reid condemned Abbott’s tweet and charged Republicans in numerous states, including Florida, with passing legislation allowing demonstrators to be struck by cars.
Reid argued this was comparable to the assassination of a white Black Lives Matter protester in Charlottesville. Reid implied Republicans were reverting to “lynching, hanging, and all manner of other 19th-century barbarism.”
She questioned further why Republicans appeared to enjoy “bringing back the lynching scene.”
So you don’t understand the concept of self-defense?
— James DePorre (@RevShark) April 8, 2023
The Race Card
Matthew Dowd, a senior political analyst, argued that had Perry been black, Abbott would not have intervened. Dowd viewed Abbott’s actions as an assault on democracy, particularly the right to a jury trial.
He asserted that Abbott’s move to pardon Perry deprived citizens of the fundamental democratic right to hold anyone accountable. One of fascism’s many characteristics, according to Reid, is a desire to harm or murder political opponents.
She asserted a pervasive “desire” for violence on the right.
Joy Reid accused Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, of “reviving lynching” after he backed an army veteran who mortally shot a Black Lives Matter protester.
Reid implied that Republicans were reverting to “lynching, hanging, and all manner of other 19th-century barbarism.”
Matthew Dowd, a senior political analyst, viewed Abbott’s actions as an assault on democracy that stripped citizens of the ability to hold anyone accountable. Reid concurred, stating that the right possessed an identical “desire” for violence.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
