January 6th this year was an important and eventful day in the US and especially in American politics. The final elections for the Senate happened in Georgia where Democrats managed to win both seats, which gives them an important majority in the Senate. However, this was not the only thing that happened.
In election years, January 6th is the day where the Electoral College votes are counted. While this is mostly symbolic in practice, it is on this day the president is officially elected. Normally, this is a standard, peaceful process, but this year, Trump supporters marched on the Capitol building where the process took place, effectively disrupting the process. This was not just because of people not liking Biden, but because of the countless claims - and beliefs - of fraud during the voting process, something that Donald Trump himself kept instigating. The purpose of this riot was to disrupt, delay and change the electoral college's voting to pressure the Congress to overturn the election of Biden.
After the November election
After the election on November 3rd, Trump tried - without success - to overturn the results in the swing states that Biden won. During the days up to the count of the Electoral College votes, Trump had suggested multiple times that Vice President Mike Pence should reject Biden's victory, however Pence stated he wouldn't challenge the election result.
On January 5th and 6th, multiple rallies were held in support of Trump, the biggest being the "March to Save America" in the morning of January 6th. The goal was to build momentum and make people who were undecided or afraid of going against so many people change their vote. The protesters' plans to storm the Capitol were made in the open on social medias, and often included mentions of planned use of violence. Therefore, relevant forces were noticed by the FBI of the possibility of violence during the demonstrations. At the rally, Donald Trump and others gave speeches that both furthered the rhetoric about voting fraud and incited nationalistic violence in the name of patriotism. While Trump himself not outright call to use violence or enter the Capitol, he used some not so subtle imagery.
The Riot
Instigated by the rally, a big crowd marched to the Capitol and joined the crowd that was already there. It is estimated that there were multiple thousands of people present - most completely disregarding Covid19 restrictions. The Capitol itself was guarded by lines of police officers prepared to protect the building and keep the crowds back.
After standing around and protesting for a while, hundreds of protesters pushed through the police officers and physical barriers put up around the Capitol with the use of violence. After 2 PM local time, the mob managed to break some windows and breached the building itself, leading to an evacuation of the staff there. Outside the building rioters had vandalized police cars, and some were carrying plastic handcuffs, Confederate battle flags and Nazi flags.
While this happened, an armed police officer entered the Senate chamber where the Electoral College votes were being debated. The Senate doors were locked just before the mob reached it, and the congressmembers and staff were to evacuate to their offices where they could wait it out with the doors barred and oxygen masks at the ready. Vice President Mike Pence were escorted out by Secret Service, something Trump condemned him for on Twitter immediately after. After the Senate chamber had been evacuated some armed and armored rioters briefly took control of it. Meanwhile, an armed standoff took place right outside the front door of the chamber of the House of Representatives, the door itself barricaded with furniture. Shots were even fired.
It took over three hours for the police to retake control of the Capitol, using riot gear, shields and batons and smoke grenades. At around 5.40 PM, it was announced that all rioters had been cleared out, however protest continued outside the Capitol, and there were reported both physical and verbal attacks on reporters as they were providing 'fake news'.
The protesters didn't only plan to breach the Capitol buildings, there were also found two suspected pipe bombs close by which could have caused great damage had they not been detonated by bomb squads. They were believed to be coordinated to draw police attention away from the Capitol so the breaching would be easier. A vehicle with a semi-automatic rifle, three handguns and 11 Molotov cocktails were also found near the Capitol, and its driver arrested.
While the riot was ongoing, Trump kept asking Republican senators to make more objections to the counting of the Electoral votes. He was watching it all unfold live but was very hesitant to comment on the events, even after many prominent Republicans had already condemned the rioters. More than an hour and a half after the Capitol had been breached, he finally did write something though he did not explicitly call the rioters off, just that they should 'remain peaceful'. An hour later, he published a video where he praised his supporters and continued with his claims of voter fraud - however, this video was later taken down by the media platforms themselves.
The aftermath
After the rioters were cleared out of the Capitol and the buildings had been cleaned, Congress reconvened in the evening to continue counting the electoral votes. However, the previous events had clearly shaken many, as some objections to swing state votes were withdrawn, and a Republican stated afterwards that several of his colleagues had voted to challenge the results out of fear for their and their families safety. At 3.41 AM, Congress confirmed the outcome with 306 votes for Biden and 232 for Trump, meaning Biden will become President on January 20th.
While five people died as caused by the riots, one an officer and four rioters, a lot more were injured in the event. More than 170 different criminal cases have been made against attendees, with more being looked into. Many of these are for theft and looting, as the rioters had stolen or damaged much of the inventory in the buildings, causing especially broken glass, broken doors, graffiti, and damage to historical artifacts.
The events also led to Trump being permanently banned from Twitter for spreading false information and inciting violence, and just a few days ago, Trump has been impeach - again - making him the first president to ever be impeached twice.
To react to the daily news you need to be logged in.
Private
Private
0
0
0
0
