Scott Lucas is Professor Emeritus of International Politics at the University of Birmingham. He says there are echoes between the events Schwarzenegger is describing and what's happening now in America.
ADVERTISEMENTFormer California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has issued a powerful condemnation of the Capitol assault and of his fellow Republicans who have enabled President Trump.
The Hollywood actor was born in Europe just after World War 2. He warned that he's seen firsthand "how things can spin out of control":
"I grew up in Austria. I'm very aware of Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass. It was a night of rampage against the Jews carried out in 1938, the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys. Wednesday was the day of broken glass right here in the United States."
Schwarzenegger finished on a more optimistic note, comparing American democracy to the sword he brandished in his early role as Conan the Barbarian, which he said only grows stronger when it is tempered.
Scott Lucas is Professor Emeritus of International Politics at the University of Birmingham and co-founder of the America Unfiltered project. He says there are echoes between the events Schwarzenegger is describing and what's happening now in America:
"The danger of following those who incite hatred, who incite violence has been seen in the past week. And the danger of walking over your system, of saying that the rules don't matter, that the courts don't matter, that the legislatures don't matter...we've seen it for years in the United States. I'm hopeful that we'll have a better 2021 but this is the most important period in US history since the Civil War."
To listen to the full interview with Professor Scott Lucas, click on the media player above.