Pro-Trump senator praises Capitol rioters and claims they would’ve been dangerous if BLM protesters

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican, has claimed he "never felt threatened" by pro-Trump Capitol rioters because they "loved this country", but would've been frightened had the rioters represented Black Lives Matter or antifa.

"I've also been criticised because I made the comment on 6 January – I never felt threatened, because I didn't," Mr Johnson said on Thursday on radio talk show The Joe Pags Show.

"Even though those thousands of people were marching on the Capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted me to vote, I knew those were people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, so I wasn't concerned," he continued.

Mr Johnson went on to state that if the "tables were turned" he would be more concerned about how the situation could turn out based on who exactly would be storming the Capitol.

"So had the tables been turned, Joe, this could mean trouble. Had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned," he said.

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The insurrection events that took place at the US Capitol left five people dead, including one Capitol Police officer. Violence from the rioters against police officers attempting to defend the federal building also resulted in about 140 officers suffering from injuries they sustained on 6 January.

Thousands of dollars of damage was also left behind in the US Capitol, including smashed windows, broken doors, and graffiti spray painted across the building.

Yet Mr Johnson, a staunch Donald Trump supporter, claimed those involved "truly respect law enforcement" and would "never do anything to break the law."

Investigators have identified more than 540 suspects in the events that took place on 6 January, and about 275 people to date have been arrested and face federal charges.

Mr Johnson's statement about the riots have highlighted comparisons other conservatives had made between the events of 6 January and the Black Lives Matter protests seen across the country last summer.

The Republican senator has since faced backlash on social media for his statements that he would've been more afraid if Black Lives Matters protesters were involved on 6 January, with some accusing him of racism.

"I got elected with Ron Johnson. I liked Ron Johnson. I don't know who the hell this Ron Johnson is. This is ugly. This is wrong. This is racist. Ron Johnson needs to be defeated. Take a listen to this," said former Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois, a Republican and conservative talk show host.

Wisconsin state Senator LaTonya Johnson, a Democrat who is Black, also questioned the comments from the US senator.

"What, white people love this country and Black people don't? That's exactly what he's saying," Ms Johnson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Mr Johnson responded to the criticism by citing some of the violence that was demonstrated at protests last summer.

"Out of 7,750 protests last summer associated with BLM and Antifa, 570 turned into violent riots that killed 25 people and caused $1- $2 billion of property damage. That's why I would have been more concerned," he said in a statement.

The senator appeared to be citing a report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a nonprofit that analysed the protests witnessed between May and August 2020. But the nonprofit also found that 90 per cent of demonstrations from last summer were nonviolent and 95 per cent of participants were peaceful protesters.