Rudy Giuliani shared a blatantly fascist video promoting a clothing company to mark 9/11
The commemorations of the September 11th terrorist attacks invariably prompt an offensive deluge of jingoistic propaganda and culture war posturing from conservatives, but President Trump’s lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani somehow managed to set a new low in 9/11 exploitation on its 18th anniversary.
He posted a wildly fascistic advertisement to his personal Twitter that primarily featured police officers facing off and preparing to do battle with a “leftist” antifascist mob interspersed with shots of first responders at the World Trade Center and troops saluting.
GOD BLESS AMERICA! pic.twitter.com/VklXvWggKJ
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) September 11, 2019
It didn’t take long before internet sleuths discovered that the appalling video fantasizing about police violently suppressing the free speech of protestors is in fact an advertisement for a right-wing clothing company called “Grunt Style” that markets firearm fetish and flag propaganda merch to Seb Gorka radio show listeners with “terrorist hunting permit” stickers on the back of their trucks.
A small selection of Grunt Style’s wares:
It is truly repulsive to see the man who watched 3,000 of his city’s people die on that tragic day then try to use the memory of their deaths in order to sell offensive T-shirts and to glorify the idea of cops beating protesters expressing their First Amendment rights to free speech. It is antithetical to everything our nation stands for.
Social media users were quick to drag him through the ringer:
If I understand this video, @RudyGiuliani seems to think that on 9/11 we were attacked by ANTIFA. https://t.co/npxgfb3MRh
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) September 11, 2019
Posting a vid on 9/11 of a vet-turned-cop (who was "motivated" by 9/11) preparing to assault protesters pretty much sums up Rudy Giuliani's entire worldview https://t.co/Kz0ELxB1yt
— jordan (@JordanUhl) September 11, 2019
I also remember when antifa knocked down the World Trade Center
— Mass for Shut-ins (podcast) (@gin_and_tacos) September 11, 2019
Rudy Giuliani sharing an overtly fascist commercial for a Troop Lifestyle clothing brand at 1:53am on the anniversary of September 11 is exactly exactly exactly where the culture is right now. No one else needs to tweet anything today.
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) September 11, 2019
Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.