Flashbacks: Democratic Michigan Governor Gets Reminded How She Led Her Own 'Insurrection' in 2012

The first anniversary of the Capitol riot in Washington, DC, on 6 January 2022, saw a wave of statements and opinions on last year's events. Among those speaking out were Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, Tucker Carlson, and many prominent figures from across the American political spectrum.

As Americans were looking back on the events of the Capitol riot on Thursday, letting all their feelings out at those responsible for the Capitol breach, some people recalled the year 2012, when Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer "led her own 'insurrection'" in the state Capitol.

Republican candidate for Michigan governor, Tudor Dixon, shared a video with a recap of the 2012 events in the Great Lakes State, pointing at how the Capitol protests at the time followed Republican proposals for a "Right to Work" law.

"It got violent", Tudor wrote, attaching the video. "Here she is bragging about it".

The clip showed crowds of people flocking outside the Michigan State Capitol, with Whitmer - a Democratic state senator at the time - opening her ground-floor Capitol office window to let protesters in.

Later, protesters are seen thronging the floors of the Capitol, chanting slogans, and holding up posters. Some of the demonstrators can be heard swearing at police officers and engaging in squabbles with each other.

Here’s a totally random reminder that Dem Governor @GretchenWhitmer led her own “insurrection” back in 2012 at the Michigan Capitol because Republicans proposed a Right to Work law.

It got violent.

Here she is bragging about it. 👇#January6th pic.twitter.com/FnaEnkvm9Y

— Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) January 6, 2022

Whitmer herself has not commented on the throwback, but netizens gathered in Twitter threads to discuss it. Many recalled other incidents of what they also compared to "insurrections" that did not receive as much media attention as the Capitol riot.

One user wrote about the 2011 protests in Wisconsin, which also took place in the state Capitol in Madison. The protesters - an estimated 100,000 people - were objecting to the 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, also known as the "Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill". In late February of that year, protesters basically occupied the state Capitol and even established a somewhat functioning community, dividing the government building into "sleeping" area, "medical" area, and other sectors and putting signs and posters on the walls.

Another user shared a number of videos from May 2020, saying that "mobs of [far]-left rioters tried to storm the White House" calling to "lynch the president".

Flashback: In May 2020, mobs of fat-left rioters tried to storm the White House. They were repelled by police, who were assaulted and hit with projectiles. Democrats and leftists condemned law enforcement at the time for stopping the rioters. #CapitolRiot pic.twitter.com/lJcwdQHC51

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 7, 2022

Other netizens, however, argued that the footage shared by Tudor does not depict actions as violent as those on 6 January 2021.

That looked like a demonstration, I didn’t see cops getting beat down or property being destroyed.

— STAR 🌟 (@gloria_swaggard) January 7, 2022

Hi Tudor and Fred,

Couple of quick questions. Who were the protesters in this video trying to kill? On January 6th they were trying to kill the vice president and members of Congress. Also, what legitimate election were these protesters trying to overthrow? Thanks.

— Joe F Spaulding 🦉 (@beyond_process) January 6, 2022

In January 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol demanding that Congress not certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The riot claimed the lives of five people, including that of a Capitol police officer.

Democrats have accused former US President Donald Trump of instigating the rioters - something that he has denied. The accusations have continued to the present day, with President Joe Biden again mentioning them on Thursday, when he said Trump created a "web of lies" after losing the 2020 election. Trump, in turn, lambasted Biden's Capitol riot anniversary speech as "political theatre" aimed at distracting the public from the current administration's misfortunes.