authoritarian

“This is how authoritarians behave, this is not how the leader of a free democracy behaves.” said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Young people who took to the streets on Monday said they were also protesting against what they saw as the authoritarian attitude of the government.

“If they don’t, they won’t just further empower this authoritarian regime; they also risk fracturing the Democratic Party over their failed leadership,” he said.

Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, described the arrests as "absurd" and "authoritarian", targeting people for "peacefully holding a placard".

Mr Cappelli's answer to those who call the response authoritarian is: "Study history. Amnesty for past coup attempts resulted in new coups. Today's pardoned coup plotter becomes tomorrow's coup plotter."