ABSTRACT
On January 6, 2021, the US Capitol building was stormed by rioters protesting the attempt of Congress to certify the election of Joseph Biden to the presidency. The event brought with it public outcry, as it was taken by many to be an assault on basic principles of democratic governance, and many called on the government to punish the protestors to the full extent of the law. However, the event also brought criticism from some quarters, who held that the condemnations of violence in the United States following the Capitol Hill riots and the earlier riots after the death of George Floyd were hypocritical in light of the way that Americans had previously praised pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Even more seriously, this was claimed to illustrate the failure of democracy as a viable mode of government.
