Will the events at Capitol Hill create stigma towards Americans?

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On 6 January the Capitol building was stormed by Trump supporters. Paraphernalia is seen being sold the following day (Getty Images)

President-elect Joe Biden has emphasised what I am sure are the feelings of many Americans right now: that the events which took place at Capitol Hill on 6 January is not a reflection of “a true America”. 

As a British Muslim woman, comments such as this intrigue me. Will this event stigmatise being American now? Will Americans be stopped for extra searches at airports – perhaps over worries that they will storm the plane and sit in the pilot’s seat and refuse to leave? If an American schoolchild ends up in a classroom outside of the US, will they be subjected to taunts and name-calling from their peers, who will inevitably associate their accent with the crowds that swarmed the streets of Washington DC on that fateful day?

 Will we see panels of so-called experts in all things American on our television screens, denouncing all Americans as violent or ignorant? And will those experts actually just be people who – though they have devoted their careers to villainising Americans – have never bothered to visit the country or interact with any of its people? 

I doubt it. Because (and again, I’m speaking as a Muslim woman) if it seems ridiculous to paint all members of a diverse group of people with the same brush based on the actions of what Biden describes as a small number of extremists – that’s because it is. 

Syeda Nooresahar Ahmad 

Hartlepool 

Tenant evictions

It is abhorrent that landlords will be able to evict tenants for substantial arrears accrued over the pandemic. This will push tenants further into the clutches of homelessness, despair, physical and mental illnesses and emotional instabilities.

Regrettably, this torturous mistreatment and punishment is cruel, inhuman and will have physical and mental repercussions. The government should close every loophole in law and help people attain the highest standard of health and human dignity and overcome these turbulent times. 

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob

London

Brexit committee

Andrew Woodcock’s article on 9 January about Rees-Mogg ‘undermining scrutiny’ of PM’s trade deal is sobering. However, it is no wonder the Brexit committee has been ordered to shut down, as the trade deal is not likely to stand up to scrutiny. Why else shut down the committee convened to do just that? This is just another ploy along the lines of proroguing Parliament.

The tip of the iceberg is already showing.

At the age of almost 80, and vulnerable to Covid-19, I am reliant on food deliveries from an online supplier. Ocado informs me: “Changes to the UK supply chain have affected some of our suppliers and may result in an increase of missing items and substitutions over the next few weeks.”

My husband, a bee keeper, informs that a bee-killing pesticide, a neonicotinoid, has been approved for use by DEFRA after being banned by the European Union. I read that Scottish trawler-men have been told to land fewer fish as the catch faces being sent to land fill because of delays caused by Brexit red tape.

So these are examples of the UK “prospering mightily” under Johnson’s trade agreement. I am reminded of an earlier Independent cartoon of Johnson with his Pinocchio nose and further reminded of: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”

Lesley Salter

Hampshire

Free broadband

A year and a bit is a very long time in politics. Jeremy Corbyn’s manifesto commitment to provide free broadband to all households is not looking as silly as it did in the run up to the last election.

Nigel Fox

Leamington Spa

Therapeutic hibernation

I read Roisin O'Connor's editor's letter with an audible sigh of relief because the government is concerned that this lockdown is not resonating, like the one last March. Then, I feel it was a novelty to be explored and utilised, with all those projects to be undertaken with the spirit of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island.

This time, set in winter, we need a different approach. There should be fewer tasks and more escapism – with reading, as O'Connor rightly states, up there with the finest ways to spend our time.

Hours literally slip away, rediscovering old favourites and tackling the new and radical. So let's all be kind to ourselves, obey the rules but don't knock ourselves out trying to be that whizz with the paintbrush or learn to play a musical instrument in seven days. A spot of therapeutic hibernation is the name of the game, until the new and hopeful horizon emerges for everyone.

Judith A. Daniels

Norfolk

Scrutinised deal

I have just read in The Independent that Jacob Rees Mogg has decided to shut down the Commons Brexit committee.  

The prime minister makes a habit of leaving key decisions until the last moment, which means parliament and our elected representatives have no time for proper scrutiny. It is farcical that it took from 2016 until 2020 to negotiate our exit from the European Union and yet parliament had just a few days to scrutinise the agreement and sign it off. 

I believe the public has a right to see the deal properly scrutinised and reported upon so we can make a clear judgement as to its merits and disadvantages. This will allow us to make our own representations to our MPs if we feel there are elements of the agreement that, in the short, medium and long term, should be subject to further negotiation. If the government shuts down this committee, there will be no post-deal scrutiny to enlighten the public – which, in my view, compounds the authoritarianism that Boris Johnson’s government has been displaying from day one. 

Since the result of the 2016 vote, I feel I’m in the 50 per cent of the country that has had our views on the means and manner of leaving the EU totally ignored. The horrifying scenes of far right extremists storming the Capitol in Washington DC illustrates what can happen when our leaders aren’t held to account.

We simply cannot be complicit with the autocratic behaviour of Boris Johnson. If we are, we may live to regret it. Since Covid-19 seriously limits our right to protest, I shall at least be writing to my MP. I hope others will too. We need our voices heard now rather than crying over spilt milk later. 

Jane Mogford

Gloucestershire