Violent Pro-Trump Riot Breaches the US Capitol Building Over Election Results

Rioters in support of sitting US President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol building in an unprecedented act of violence on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Source.

The United States Congress held a Joint Meeting in the Capitol building on Wednesday to formally count the electoral votes that would confirm President Elect Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Pro-Trump demonstrators, who believe the sitting President's false claims about the election being stolen and fraudulent, came to stand in opposition to this outcome. Their protest quickly turned riotous. 

The demonstrators stormed through outside barriers and broke through windows of the Capitol building as they tried to make their way to the chambers. Law enforcement officers were dispatched to the area, and many members of Congress were evacuated with their staff. However, the officers were not able to stop the rioters from getting into the building. In addition to the damage they caused to federal property, many of the rioters were reportedly armed. Other weapons were found in the D.C. area, including a pipe bomb which was found and detonated at the Republican National Committee building. At least one person died after being shot by law enforcement officers during the riot. 

Many observers noted that this riot was the first time the US Capitol had been invaded by hostile forces since 1814, when British forces attacked and burned the building during the War of 1812.

After staying quiet for a while during the violence, Mr. Trump addressed his supporters in a video on twitter, which was later taken down. He told the rioters to “go home in peace” while repeatedly continuing to claim the election was “stolen from [him]” and his supporters. President Elect Biden addressed the nation in a live statement that focused on ceasing violence and uniting as a country, “call[ing] on the mob to pull back and allow democracy to go forward.” 

After almost an hour of the rioting, the Washington D.C. and Virginia National Guard, as well as the FBI were called in to ease tensions and get people off of the streets. In other efforts to keep damages to a minimum, Mayor of D.C. Muriel Bowser set a curfew for the area at 6:00 pm. Though the rioters fought back against law enforcement for hours, the situation on Capitol Hill did deescalate significantly as the curfew came. However, still protestors remained in the surrounding area and online threats continued.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement saying that the members of Congress will return to the Capitol Building as soon as it is safe for them on Wednesday night to resume counting votes. 

This violence was not without antecedent. It came on the heels of months of Mr. Trump inciting action among his supporters to “stop the steal” in what they believe to be a stolen election. In fact, Trump urged protest at a large rally just hours before the proceedings in Congress began, saying he would “never concede.” Many right-wing extremists made cviolent threats in the weeks prior to the riot on far-right communication networks that law enforcement were aware of. 

Americans are left wondering, among other things, why law enforcement was not prepared to contain such a large number of protestors and the possibility of violence.