Schwarzenegger: ‘Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the US’

Kristallnacht occurred on the night of Nov. 9, 1938. Thousands of Jewish-owned properties and synagogues were destroyed by the Nazis. Approximately 30,000 Jews were arrested. It is considered to be the beginning of what would later be known as the Holocaust.

"Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States," said Schwarzenegger. "The broken glass was in the windows of the United States Capitol — but the mob did not just shatter glass, they shattered the ideas we took for granted."

"I grew up in the ruins of a country that suffered the loss of its democracy… I was surrounded by broken men drinking away the guilt over their participation in the most evil regime in history. Not all of them were rabid anti-Semites or Nazis. Many just went along step-by-step down the road."

"President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election, and of a free election, he sought a coup by misleading people with lies,” he said. “I know where such lies lead. "We need public servants who will serve higher ideals."

On Wednesday, Jan. 6, a group of rioters, broke into the Capitol, found their way onto the Senate floor, and vandalized property before being forcibly removed. Five people including a police officer died as a result of the events. Many of the rioters have been arrested and charged for their crimes.