TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — American Indian leaders continue to denounce the violent attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday. Last Friday, the National Congress of the American Indians, the largest national American Indian organization in the country, released a statement that called out President Donald Trump for inciting the violence at the Capitol.
During his State of the Nation address during a tribal council meeting on Monday evening in Tahlequah, Okla., Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. spent his first minute addressing the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday.
"It's a very unsettling time, I think, for all of us anywhere in America. Last week, there was an insurrection in this country, and we ought to say it - and we ought to say it loudly - [that] we oppose it. I certainly do and I hope the country stands strong against that. I think every American ought to find an opportunity to find some unity and rally around the things we can rally around during these difficult times,” Hoskin said.
After last week’s attack on the Capitol, the Cherokee, Choctaw and Muscogee (Creek) Nations released a joint statement that called those who participated in the violence domestic terrorists.
Read the statement below:
“On January 6, we watched in horror as insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol. This was not protest—it was outright mob violence by domestic terrorists, and it has no place in decent society. We commend law enforcement and those who put their own lives at risk be bravely standing between the rioters and innocent lives. We strongly condemn the insurrectionists and all those who instigated the disruption of the federal government through their words and actions. In spite of the deeds and actions we witnessed, we must summon the strength and resilience of our ancestors. We must overcome and be united for the common good of our country.”
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