Donald Trump and the ‘traveling fiasco’

The thing about sectarian violence — and that’s what we must call political violence these days — is those who commit it will usually defend it in the most noble of terms.

“I guess it happens to the best of us,” Carlos Ceballos, an iron worker who traveled to San Jose to protest Donald Trump said.

It really doesn’t. But it can. And that’s the danger portrayed by last evening’s riots in San Jose as Trump protesters attacked supporters. It’s a much shorter trip to civil war and violence than many Americans want to admit. But this is step one. (Warning: Obscenities)

Behold, the American experiment!

A man leaving a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump squares off against protesters following him on Thursday, June 2, 2016, in San Jose, Calif. A group of protesters attacked Trump supporters who were leaving the presidential candidate's rally in San Jose on Thursday night. A dozen or more people were punched, at least one person was pelted with an egg and Trump hats grabbed from supporters were set on fire on the ground. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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“It wasn’t completely unprovoked,” Marcus Dipaola, a freelance journalist who shot that video, told the Washington Post. “The guy with the flag was waving it in front of the victim’s face. The victim kind of pushed the flag out of the way and then walked quickly away. You saw what happened next.”

Some protesters, shouting “no violence”, tried to protect Trump supporters, but they were quickly overwhelmed.

“There’s a lot of people like me, but everyone will just focus on the four crazy ones. That diminishes the message,” Arnold Morales, from Redwood City, told the San Jose Mercury News.

Because you can’t start a fire without a spark.

Related: Trump Could Threaten U.S. Rule of Law, Scholars Say (NY Times)