--- title: The Capitol Rioters Were Like a Lynch Mob description: Robert Meeropol, whose father Abel wrote 'Strange Fruit,' compares the insurrectionists to lynch mobs protecting structural racism with violence and a sense of impunity. canonical: https://time.com/5943979/capitol-insurrection-lynch-mobs-strange-fruit/ author: Robert Meeropol article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-03-05T17:15:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:55:21.111Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Capitol Rioters Were Like a Lynch Mob og:description: The son of Abel Meeropol, who wrote the anti-lynching song 'Strange Fruit,' draws comparisons across history og:url: https://time.com/5943979/capitol-insurrection-lynch-mobs-strange-fruit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d3a9a04fb574905/698a17a022fb856d3be2bf8a/GettyImages-1230454717.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5535 og:image:height: 3113 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Capitol Rioters Were Like a Lynch Mob twitter:description: The son of Abel Meeropol, who wrote the anti-lynching song 'Strange Fruit,' draws comparisons across history twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d3a9a04fb574905/698a17a022fb856d3be2bf8a/GettyImages-1230454717.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # My Father Wrote 'Strange Fruit.' The Capitol Rioters Had a Lot in Common With the Lynch Mobs That Inspired That Song > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=43a77997-e59f-428a-a2d9-7729acb7f469&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=43a77997-e59f-428a-a2d9-7729acb7f469&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=43a77997-e59f-428a-a2d9-7729acb7f469&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Robert Meeropol](https://time.com/author/robert-meeropol/) ## Robert Meeropol Mar 5, 2021 5:15 PM UTC  President Trump supporters gather at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. President Trump supporters gather at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds—AFP/Getty Images by [Robert Meeropol](https://time.com/author/robert-meeropol/) ## Robert Meeropol Mar 5, 2021 5:15 PM UTC The [Trump supporters](https://time.com/5939014/trump-defense-impeachment-trial-capitol-attack/) who [attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6th](https://time.com/5938095/video-capitol-riot-impeachment-trial/) have been called seditious rioters, insurrectionists and domestic terrorists. I think of them as a lynch mob. Perhaps that’s because Abel Meeropol, who wrote the anti-lynching anthem “[Strange Fruit](https://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/24/the-all-time-100-songs/slide/strange-fruit-billie-holiday/),” was my father. In the early 1930s, Abel, a Jewish English teacher at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, saw a photograph of the lynching of two men in Marion, Ind. Horrified at the murder and the crowd of onlookers, he wrote a poem titled “Bitter Fruit.” Later he changed the title to “Strange Fruit” and set it to music. He played it for Billie Holiday at New York’s Café Society, and she gave it to the world. The first stanza of the song identified its subject: --- > “” --- The photograph that triggered the song was not unusual. It was common practice for white people to attend [lynchings](https://time.com/4314310/hanging-bridge-excerpt-mississippi-civil-rights/) as though they were as mundane an event as a picnic, and for photographers to turn their images into postcards which were sold in stores. People brought their children, who learned how Black people were treated if “they” stepped out of line. The people photographed at the Marion lynching did not try hide their faces. In one image, a man points to one of the dangling bodies with an expression on his face that seems to say, “See what we do to them?” Near him a woman smiles. Lynching was a national phenomenon, an American pastime; participants did not fear reprisal. They knew their actions would be condoned by the local powers, even if more prominent voices tut-tutted about following the rule of law. On Jan. 6, the Trump mob apparently felt the same impunity. They took selfies as they smashed windows and doors, desecrated sacred objects and paraded through the Capitol rotunda. They chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” carried baseball bats, brought plastic ties to bind their victims, and looked for Congressional representatives to attack. They erected a scaffold with a noose on the Capitol grounds. In the images of the event, participants appeared to revel in the violence. Hanging was not just on the minds of the mob, but of those who egged them on, claiming that Trump won the election. As conspiracy-spouting Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene answered when asked whether Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama deserved to be hanged, “\[the\] Stage is being set.” Commentators have described participants as stupid for their openness. After all, it’s led to more than [250 people being charged](https://time.com/5937535/us-capitol-riot-fbi-oath-keepers/), with FBI investigations ongoing. But it was privilege, not stupidity, that emboldened them. The mob was animated by the same racist impulse that moved those in Marion. Like the lynch mob, they were protecting structural racism with threats and violence. They may be surprised by the subsequent wave of indictments, but how many mostly white juries will convict? This is one reason why “Strange Fruit” remains as current today as when Billie Holiday first sang it in 1939.  Singer Billie Holiday records her penultimate album at the Columbia Records studio in New York in Dec. 1957. Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images In addition to [carrying the Confederate battle flag](https://time.com/5928627/symbols-capitol/), some Capitol invaders wore Swastikas, Nazi war flags, and Camp Auschwitz insignia. My father understood, like the Trump mob at the Capitol, that racism and [anti-Semitism](https://time.com/5580312/kantor-center-anti-semitism-report/) are intwined. In the era when he wrote “Strange Fruit,” Hitler was rising to power, and even before Abel learned of the crematoria, he felt a visceral connection with lynching victims. He wrote: --- > “” --- My father died of Alzheimer’s 35 years ago. In the final months of his life, he barely recognized me. But he would perk up when I played him the record of Holiday singing “Strange Fruit.” Before dementia stilled his mind, Abel mourned what he felt was the eclipse of his most important work. I’ve often wondered what he would think of the recent explosion of interest in his song as an anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement. I believe Abel would be ambivalent. Proud that his greatest artistic achievement is still playing a powerful positive role, with [new films about Holiday](https://time.com/5942465/the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-review/) and the song and stunning new covers by contemporary artists like [Andra Day](https://time.com/collection/american-voices-2017/5029505/american-voices-andra-day/). But he’d be dismayed and angry that “Strange Fruit” is still so necessary. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5943979/capitol-insurrection-lynch-mobs-strange-fruit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5943979/capitol-insurrection-lynch-mobs-strange-fruit/"},"headline":"My Father Wrote 'Strange Fruit.' The Capitol Rioters Had a Lot in Common With the Lynch Mobs That Inspired That Song","datePublished":"2021-03-05T17:15:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:55:21.111Z","description":"Like the lynch mob, they were protecting structural racism with threats and violence and a sense of impunity","url":"https://time.com/5943979/capitol-insurrection-lynch-mobs-strange-fruit/","keywords":["extremism"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d3a9a04fb574905/698a17a022fb856d3be2bf8a/GettyImages-1230454717.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Robert Meeropol","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/robert-meeropol/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d3a9a04fb574905/698a17a022fb856d3be2bf8a/GettyImages-1230454717.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP","caption":"US-POLITICS-ELECTION-TRUMP","creditText":"Andrew Caballero-Reynolds—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/extremism/","name":"extremism"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5943979/capitol-insurrection-lynch-mobs-strange-fruit/","name":"My Father Wrote 'Strange Fruit.' The Capitol Rioters Had a Lot in Common With the Lynch Mobs That Inspired That Song"}}]}] ```