Neil Young has been using his website as a platform to talk about politics for a while now, from writing open letters to the President to expressing his opinions about racial justice. Over the weekend, Young tackled the insurrection at the Capitol building in a new post titled “A Message from Neil.”

In it, he encourages “empathy for the people who have been so manipulated and had their beliefs used as political weapons” and talks about how we need “discussion and solutions” and “respect for one another’s beliefs.” He specifically mentions a rioter that has come to be known as Elizabeth from Knoxville, who was filmed crying on camera and saying that she had just been maced. (It’s been called into question whether or not she was actually maced.)

“A young lady in tears spoke of being maced in the Capital [sic]. She was crying because she had been attacked and all she was doing was trying to have her voice heard in the Revolution,” Young wrote in his post. “She was one of thousands who have been carrying the feeling of being persecuted for their beliefs, their feeling that American power just didn’t care.”

Here’s Young’s full post:

Sadness and compassion hit me last night as I watched fellow Americans telling their stories

A young lady in tears spoke of being maced in the Capital [sic]. She was crying because she had been attacked and all she was doing was trying to have her voice heard in the Revolution. She was one of thousands who have been carrying the feeling of being persecuted for their beliefs, their feeling that American power just didn’t care.

This, to me is beyond my own feelings that our president has betrayed the people, exaggerated and amplified the truth to foment hatred. Resentment of the Democratic party among the insurrectionists at the Capitol was rampant. We don’t need this hate. We need discussion and solutions. Respect for one another’s beliefs. Not hatred.

I was devastated to see the double standard. The way people were treated in the BLM demonstrations recently, compared to the other day. There is no place here for White Supremacy. People need each other to be truly free. Hatred will never find Freedom.

I learned that a some of the people storming the Capitol were police themselves, and gained peaceful entry by showing their badges. I was shocked to see the Confederate flag being waved inside the chamber; the destruction and disrespect. But mostly I felt bad for the people. With Social media, issues are turned to psychological weapons and used to gather hatred in support of one side or the other. This is what Donald J. Trump has as his legacy.

I still have my strong beliefs. That has not changed. But now I feel empathy for the people who have been so manipulated and had their beliefs used as political weapons. I may be among them. I wish internet news was two-sided. Both sides represented on the same programs. Social media, at the hands of powerful people – influencers, amplifying lies and untruths, is crippling our belief system, turning us against one another.

We are not enemies. We must find a way home.
ny