On Friday, Hollywood star and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reaffirmed his comparison between the Capitol protest on January 6, 2021, and Kristallnacht, the infamous event in 1938 that marked the beginning of the Holocaust, known as the “Night of Broken Glass.”
During an interview with CNN’s Chris Wallace, Schwarzenegger stood firm on his comparison and refused to retract his statement, which he first made in the aftermath of the 2021 Capitol protest.
He cited his own Nazi father in comparing the two events. He seemed to think the common thread was that people were misled by charismatic leaders into doing bad things.
“As an immigrant to this country, I would like to say a few words to my fellow Americans and to our friends around the world about the events of recent days,” he said back then.
“I grew up in Austria. I’m very aware of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. It was a night of rampage against Jews carried out in 1938 by the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys,” he continued.
“January 6, 2021, was the day of Broken Glass in the United States,” he added.
Kristallnacht, the U.S. Holocaust Museum notes, was “a series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany and recently incorporated territories.”
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Dozens and perhaps hundreds of Jews were killed as Nazi activists smashed Jewish-owned storefronts (hence the name “Kristallnacht,” for the broken glass on the streets) and set fire to synagogues.
Schwarzenegger is an outspoken critic of former President Trump, as well as his party’s conservative wing.
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