07 January 2021 - Four dead after violent takeover of U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters
4 dead, Congress evacuated, National Guard activated after pro-Trump rioters storm Capitol
Allan Smith, Ginger Gibson, Daniel Arkin, Pete Williams and Dartunorro Clark (NBC News, 06/01/2021)
The U.S. Capitol descended into chaos and violence Wednesday as hundreds of pro-Trump rioters swarmed the building, leaving four dead and forcing the Senate to evacuate and Vice President Mike Pence to be ushered to a secure location.
The frenzied scene after rioters broke through barricades forced Congress to evacuate parts of the building and abruptly pause a ceremonial event affirming that President-elect Joe Biden won the November election. In one dramatic moment, police officers drew guns as rioters tried to break into the House chamber.
Facebook and Twitter lock Trump’s social media accounts after video address
Kari Paul (The Guardian, 07/01/2021)
Twitter and Facebook took unprecedented actions to address the spread of misinformation and the incitement of violence by Donald Trump on their platforms on Wednesday, after supporters of the president stormed the US Capitol.
Both companies locked Trump’s accounts and removed several posts from the president that cast doubt on the election results and praised his supporters, who forcibly took to the government building as lawmakers attempted to tally votes for the election.
‘America’s double standard’: Racial justice activists denounce police reaction to pro-Trump mob
Tatiana Sanchez (San Fransisco Chronicle, 06/01/2021)
The violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday sent shock waves across the nation and enraged Bay Area supporters and organizers of racial justice protests, who said police appeared to show much more restraint — and use significantly less force — in responding to the largely white crowd.
“It is America’s double standard on full display,” said Zahra Billoo, a civil rights lawyer and executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in the Bay Area. “It is not surprising, but it is nonetheless disappointing to see how this violent mob of people attempting to disrupt law and order are treated so differently than civil rights advocates, like myself, and other Muslims and minorities who have been advocating for change through law and order for decades.”
This Violent Insurrection Is What Trump Wanted
John Cassidy (The New Yorker, 06/01/2021)
At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, police reinforcements were starting to clear a mob of Donald Trump supporters from the United States Capitol, which they had occupied for almost three hours. The representatives and senators, who were holding a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the Electoral College when the Trump supporters broke through security lines, are still in lockdown. Amid unprecedented scenes of mayhem, the joint session, which should have been a formality, has been suspended, and it’s not clear when the session will resume.
Earlier in the day, there were alarming clashes. At the doors of the House chamber, armed Trump supporters engaged in a standoff with Capitol Police. “Police have guns drawn. We are hiding behind chairs and tables on House gallery,” a reporter on the scene, Politico’s Olivia Beavers, tweeted, at 2:45 p.m. In the Senate, at least one man made it inside the chamber, where, according to Igor Bobic, a HuffPost reporter, he walked up to the dais and shouted, “Trump won that election!”
Was it a coup? No, but siege on US Capitol was the election violence of a fragile democracy
Clayton Besaw and Matthew Frank (The Conversation, 07/01/2021)
Did the United States just have a coup attempt?
Supporters of President Donald Trump, following his encouragement, stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Waving Trump banners, hundreds of people broke through barricades and smashed windows to enter the building where Congress convenes. One rioter died and several police officers were hospitalized in the clash. Congress went on lockdown.
While violent and shocking, what happened on Jan. 6 wasn’t a coup.