Why the flag of South Vietnam flew at US Capitol siege
Long T. Bui, Associate Professor of Global and International Studies, University of California, IrvineWed, January 13, 2021, 7:18 AM GMT+11The violent mob that laid siege to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 carried symbols expressing the purpose of their insurrectionist campaign to derail Joe Biden’s electoral certification.Alongside American flags, anti-Semitic banners and Confederate battle flags flew the yellow-and-red striped flag of the former South Vietnam. This confounded many onlookers. One reddit user wondered why the mostly white “anarchist mob” had “coopted” South Vietnamese iconography.
In fact, the rioters flying the South Vietnamese flag were more likely Vietnamese American supporters of Donald Trump.
Election surveys find that Vietnamese Americans were the only Asian American group in which a majority voted for Trump last year. They are attracted to Trump’s hard-line stance against China, anti-communist rhetoric and self-avowed commitment to protecting America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, according to journalists and researchers.
The South Vietnamese flag recalls Vietnam’s own “failed” democracy – and the people’s struggle to save their nation.
https://news.yahoo.com/why-flag-south-vietnam-flew-201839699.html
