Debate on Incident in Washington: Clash at the Lincoln Memorial

The mood in front of the Lincoln Memorial was heated up. Three groups met on Friday in the US capital Washington. All led different reasons to this place. But the images of their clash went around the world, fueling the debate on racism in the United States.

Above all, indignation aroused a video sequence: It shows a teenager with a red "Make America Great Again" cap, which stands in front of a Native American. While the older man beats his drum and sings, the teenager smiles. There are hooting students around them. Farther away, four representatives of the religious faction of the Black Hebrews preach. They scream and scold the crowd of students and onlookers. The situation is hostile.

In initial reactions, politicians and school leaders had sharply criticized the students' behavior as a provocation. Also SPIEGEL ONLINE had reported about this development. But now it shows that the situation is as complex as the social tensions in the US. The clash of groups is not so easy to assess, possibly have several stakeholders made mistakes - and the interpretation of sovereignty is bitterly disputed.

What can be reconstructed from video recordings and statements of those involved?

Several video recordings show that the atmosphere in the square was already strained before the meeting of the three groups. The Spokesman of the Black Hebrews preaches loudly. But he does not leave it at that. He specifically addresses people who stand before him. Some insulted him, even his companions agree.

As a student wearing caps bearing Donald Trump's campaign slogan, he insults him, inter alia, as racists, incest babies and fagots. Some teens whip up their smartphones and film the scene, but most of them seem to stay calm.

Louder and more aggressive

According to several reports, students from Park Hills, Kentucky's Covington Catholic High School attended the so-called march for the life of abortion opponents. As more and more of them gather in the square, the preacher's insults become louder and more aggressive. A video shows that shortly thereafter the Native group runs between both groups. Drumming, Nathan Philipps stands in front of the students. It comes to the scene, which is shared a dozen times in the social networks.

Aboriginal Philip had walked with the "Indigenous Peoples March" to the Lincoln Monument. There he noticed how the mood between students and black Hebrews threatened to escalate, Philipps said. He kept drumming and praying that the demonstration could end peacefully, the 64-year-old Vietnam veteran said in an interview with MSNBC.

The students had "build the wall, build the wall," Philipps told the Washington Post. US President Trump wants to build a wall to hold immigrants in the southern United States.

He had run between the groups because he wanted to relax, Phillips said. "Look at my America, look at my white and black brothers here, they're tugging each other, we've reached a point where you can not stand by and watch."

On Sunday, Nick Sandman also commented on the situation in front of the Lincoln Monument - according to himself, he is the student who faced Phillips. CNN moderator Jack Tapper published the statement via Twitter. In the statement Sandmann denies that he and his classmates called for the construction of the Wall.

They had been waiting for their bus back to Kentucky at the Lincoln Memorial. As a result, they were labeled as racists by four African-American men. By chanting chants, the students would have tried to drown the insults of the Black Hebrews.

Just in: Statement of Nick Sandman, Covington Catholic Junior High School, about the event at the Lincoln Memorial: pic.twitter.com/PkuMh2cVZM

A few minutes later, the natives appeared in the square and Philipps stood drumming in front of Sandman. The student says that he wanted to dissolve the situation and therefore behave quietly towards the older man. "I silently prayed that the situation would not get out of hand," the student writes. Also for his smile, he has an explanation: He smiled at the older man, to show him that he would not get angry, according to Sandmann.

The New York Times, on the other hand, states that those involved in the Indigenous People's March have perceived the appearance of the group of students as threatening - which only shows how different the perspectives can be.

Pupil Sandman appealed to people not to make their judgment on the basis of a short clip, but to watch all the video footage. The longer video footage tells "a different story than the people pursuing an agenda."

Even the Black Hebrews show in a Facebook video every reproach. They were mocked by the teenagers, Shar Yaqataz Banyamyan said. "We are not violent or ignorant."

"It offends me"

The tone of such discussions in the US has been shown, among other things, by a tweet by the author Reza Aslan, who asked his almost 300,000 Twitter followers, whether there was a face in which one would like to smite as much as that of the pupil.

Honest question. Have you ever seen a more punchable face than this kid's? pic.twitter.com/jolQ7BZQPD

Nick Sandman writes that he received death threats through social networks. "It offends me that so many people believe in something that has not happened." He could not speak for everyone, but his classmates would respect all peoples and cultures. In addition, they would support the right to freedom of expression.

Republican Thomas Massie represents the fourth district of Kentucky, which also houses Covington Catholic High School. On Twitter, he recommended everyone to watch the different videos before judging the situation. He also defended the students. Parents and mentors of the boys should be proud of the behavior of their children and not ashamed of them, wrote Massie. "It's an honor to represent you."

(5/5) In the context of everything that's going on, the parents and mentors of these boys should be proud, not ashamed, of their kids' behavior. It is my honor to represent them.