The most famous men in country music have – for the most part – held their tongue over the mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6. But the silence did not extend to their spouses.
Brittany Aldean – a social media influencer and wife of Jason Aldean – is one of those who shared their thoughts on Instagram. This included a repositioning of an image that falsely claimed that two men in the group were actually supporters of antifa.
Five people, including Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, have died as a result of the shocking mob violence by President Trump’s supporters, fueled by Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations that the presidential election was stolen from him in November.
The image Aldean shared was part of a misinformation campaign that emerged when the disturbing Capitol images brought disgust into the country. The antifa protesters’ attack is considered ‘unfounded’ by the Associated Press, which states that there is’ no evidence ‘that the violent insurgents who violated the Capitol were supporters of far-left militant groups.
XRVision, a face recognition service cited in since unmasked reports on the antifa claim, issued a statement to BuzzFeed News that the company’s software is actually two members of neo-Nazi organizations and a QAnon supporter among the pro -Trump mob identifies – not antifa members.
Instagram removed the image from the feed hours after it was posted.
In response, Brittany Aldean posted a video on her 1.8 million Instagram followers. “It’s getting so ridiculous that the filters you put on everyone are against your narrative,” she said.
Also on January 6, the day of the uprising, Brittney Kelley – husband of Brian Kelley, Florida Georgia Line, expressed her support for ‘the patriots who fight for our freedom every day’ on the platform next to the photo of her with a American flag. in the couple’s convertible Ford Bronco driven by her famous husband.
After many of her followers expressed concern that she was supporting the Capitol takeover, Kelley edited her post and replaced ‘patriots’ with ‘people’.
Country star Maren Morris, without naming names, also tweeted, … … how do some women of a singer casually not know the difference between marching for racial injustice and Nazis violating our Capitol because they did not win? “
“I do not believe in violence or mob / cults that riot or storm buildings. I do not believe ‘patriots’ are the people who storm the building,” Kelley wrote in a subsequent post.
“I was taught to stand up for what you believe is right. Holding the American flag and calling on God for peace is not a way to express which ‘side’ I am on,” he said. she wrote.
In recent days, both have shifted their focus to promoting tolerance and questioning their critics – especially after a story was published by Rolling Stone outlining their posts. Their step back came when law enforcement and elected officials supported the potential for more violence across the United States.
In the days since the uprising, groups that follow right-wing extremist organizations have said that violent preparations are underway. The FBI has warned of possible armed protests at state headquarters from January 17 and through the inauguration, an official with knowledge of a bulletin told the USA today.
Aldean considers repression against her to be unfounded. “Everything I say is inflated and made a ‘story’,” Aldean complained on Instagram on Sunday.
“Obviously freedom of speech does not apply to everyone and that is the issue I have. I have HUGE conversations with my liberal friends and we can agree not to agree. These are the people who are not willing to not to hear, which calls me (explicitly).
Aside from her criticism of its removal, Aldean said nothing more about the ‘antifa’ image she shared.
Kelley also shared an image with the text on Sunday: “Can you imagine if we did not limit our love to those who were just like us?”
“For you, the one reading this, I choose to respect and love you, regardless of your beliefs,” she wrote. “… I encourage you, no matter what your belief system is, to help spread love and respect to everyone you come in contact with, because our world and future depend on it.”
Contributions: TODAY Bryan Alexander, USA
This article originally appeared in Nashville Tennessean: Brittany Aldean, Brittney Kelley set fire to riots in Capitol