January 6th was not a protest, but an attack on U.S. Democracy

(Cortez)

By now, everyone has most likely heard about the attack on the Capitol Building that occurred on January 6th, 2021. There is no denying that this event was a turning point in history and will forever go down as one of the most remembered events to date. I don't know about others, but I was hoping that 2021 was going to be better then 2020... a fresh start, if you will. But just 6 days into the new year, a group of extremists decided to forcefully enter one of the most important buildings of our country- not off to that great of a start. 

What happened?

On January 6th, President Trump held a rally near the White House about how the election was stolen from him. During his speech, he urged Vice President Mike Pence to not follow through with his duties to move forward with President Elect Joe Biden's victory. Trump was accused of encouraging the attack saying the he will "never concede" and told them to "never give up" (Harvey-Jenner). Apparently his followers took his speech to heart and met outside the Capitol building, managing to get past a barricade and break into the building. While inside, the rioters rampaged through the building protesting President Trump's loss, breaking into many government official's offices (Bush), and all around just wreaking havoc. 

Meanwhile, the Senate was meeting with Pence to process the Electoral College votes and move forward with the shift of power. The Chamber was sent into lockdown as a mob of angry Republicans tried to break into the room where many very important government officials were (Bush). Since the attack went down, questions have arisen about how they managed to get into the building in the first place. The Capitol is supposed to be one of the most secure places in the country, so how did a group of radicals manage to get so close to the Vice President and dozens of other important government officials?

Controversy surrounding this event

This was not just another protest, this was so much worse. It was an attack on everything the United States stands for- it was an attack on our Democracy. Many pictures taken of the attack shows Trump supporters walking through the Capitol with little resistance from authorities. Below are a few pictures from BBC:

(Theiler)

(Mcnamee)

(Angerer)

One of the most shocking  images taken that day shows a man walking around holding a Confederate flag. President Trump defended this flag being flown, claiming it was a matter of free speech (Capitol Riot). This is just absolutely heartbreaking for a Confederate flag, which stands for pro-slavery during the Civil War, and symbolizes racism and white supremacy, to be flown in the Capitol. Following the Black Lives Matter protests that called for race equality in the United States, the fact that white supremacists walked the halls of the Capitol is angering. 

The Capitol building had not been breached since the British attacked during the War of 1812, which is yet another reason why it was such a monumental occasion. In a video captured by White House correspondent Hunter Walker, he videoed one of the rioters after being maced while trying to get into the building. When asked why she wanted to go in she replied, "We're storming the Capitol, it's a revolution!" (Harvey-Jenner). Many argue that the storming of the Capitol was terrorism, as they broke into a government building protesting the loss of a candidate, not a bigger issue like human rights. 

The Aftermath 

This riot was a very eye opening experience. There have been many police and security officer resignations; Capitol Police are investigating actions taken by multiple officers during the riot who have since been suspended; the National Guard is going to deploy thousands of troops for Joe Biden's inauguration; there were multiple deaths during the riot; and there has since been many arrests of people suspected to take part due to unlawful entry and having weapons. Many big corporations have banned Trump from using their platforms because of his response to the siege, and the fact that he will not take responsibility for inciting the riot. Trump has been permanently banned from Snapchat, Twitter due to "the risk of further incitement of violence," Twitch, Reddit, and Facebook and Instagram in response to a video posted of him telling the mob that attacked the Capitol "we love you, you're very special" (Denham). Democrats have made calls for President Trumps further impeachment. 

(Millis)

So what does this mean for our country?

If one of the most safe and secure buildings could be infiltrated so easily, then are we as a people really secure? The government needs to rethink where their priorities lie and ensure the rest of country's security and wellbeing. This event will go down in history not as a revolution, but an act of terrorism against our Democracy. 

Works Cited

Angerer, Drew. Lockdown in House Chamber. 6 Jan. 2021. Getty Images, 8 Jan. 2021, 

        www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-55577824. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021.

Bush, Daniel. "How the attack on the U.S. Capitol unfolded." PBS, 7 Jan. 2021,            

        www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-the-attack-on-the-u-s-capitol-unfolded. Accessed 12 Jan. 

        2021.

"Capitol riot: Five startling images from the siege." BBC, 8 Jan. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/
        in-pictures-55577824. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021. 

Cortez, Julio. Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, 6 Jan. 2021. AP News, 11 Jan.
        2021, apnews.com/article/us-capitol-attack-14c73ee280c256ab4ec193ac0f49ad54. Accessed 12         Jan. 2021. 

Denham, Hannah. "These are the platforms that have banned Trump and his allies." The Washington
        Post, 13 Jan. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/11/trump-banned-social-

        media/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021.

Harvey-Jenner, Catriona. "'Elizabeth from Knoxville' goes viral after video shows rioter 

        complaining about being pepper sprayed." Cosmopolitan, 7 Jan. 2021, www.cosmopolitan.com 

        /uk/reports/a35146757/capitol-trump-riot-elizabeth-from-knoxville-pepper-spray/. Accessed 13         Jan. 2021. 

Mcnamee, Win. Crowd Walking Through Halls of Capitol. Getty Images, 8 Jan. 2021,        

        www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-55577824. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021.

Millis, Leah. Trump supporters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington. 6 Jan.
        2021. Reuters, 7 Jan. 2021, www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-the-attack-on-the-u-s-capitol-

        unfolded. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021.

Theiler, Mike. Man Holding Confederate Flag. Reuters, 8 Jan. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/
        in-pictures-55577824. Accessed 13 Jan. 2021.