OCA Condemns Former President Trump’s Inaccurate and Offensive Comparison of January 6th Rioters to Japanese American Internment
For Immediate Release
October 23, 2024
Media Contact:
Socheata Sun, Communications Associate
socheata.sun@ocanational.org
Washington, D.C. — OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates strongly condemns former President Donald Trump's recent remarks comparing the treatment of January 6th rioters to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. This comparison is not only historically inaccurate but also deeply offensive to the Japanese American community.
In a recent interview with political commentator Dan Bongino, Trump stated, "Maybe the Japanese during the Second World War, frankly. They were held, too," while referring to the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This statement grossly trivializes the harrowing experience of over 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in internment camps solely because of their ethnicity.
“To compare the suffering and trauma endured by Japanese Americans during World War II to the actions of individuals who attacked the U.S. Capitol is an insult to our history and our community,” said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates National President Linda Ng. “This attempt to equate two completely unrelated events diminishes the trauma suffered by Japanese Americans during internment and undermines the suffering and betrayal they endured at the hands of our government.”
“This reckless and misguided comparison reveals the continued ignorance of many Americans regarding the deep and lasting harm caused by the wrongful imprisonment of innocent people based solely on their race,” said OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates Executive Director Thu Nguyen. “The internment of Japanese Americans is a dark chapter in our nation’s history, and we must never allow it to be reduced to a political talking point. The lessons of history must be respected, not exploited for political gain. We must strive to hold our elected leaders to a standard that does not perpetuate false equivalencies that detract from the truth.”
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About OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven social justice organization of community advocates dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.