CAPITOL RIOT

On January 6th, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. The protesters interrupted a session of congress, assembled to count electoral college votes and formalize Joe Biden as the next U.S. President. The mob hoped to overturn the election results, fuelled by claims of election fraud which Trump had continually supported in the months leading up to the event. On the day Trump gave a rally inciting protesters, he asserted “We fight. We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore… So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue”.

The storming saw approximately 800 individuals vandalizing offices, breaking windows, and looting. The mob included members of the far-right-militia group Proud Boys dressed in tactical gear, a man purportedly wearing a sweatshirt reading “Camp Auschwitz”, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and many ordinary civilians. 138 police officers were injured, at least 15 of which were hospitalized. The number of injured rioters is unknown. Five people were killed in total. More than $30 million worth of damage was done, including the security that had to be reinforced. 

Three hours following the attack on the Capitol, President Trump issued a minute-long video telling the mob “Go home. We love you. You’re very special.”, notably not condemning the protesters. Twitter suspended Trump’s account for 12 hours. The ban later developed into a permanent suspension from his active account. As a result of “incitement of insurrection”, President Trump was impeached, making him the only U.S. President to be impeached twice. Although, Trump was later acquitted since an inadequate majority found him guilty. More than 400 people were charged with federal crimes for participating in the riots.