A mob of terrorist Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building on Wednesday (Jan. 6) forcing Washington D.C. into a mandatory 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in an effort to quell the violence.
Rioters terrorized the D.C. area as law enforcement claimed to be outnumbered while what appeared to be hundreds marched around the Capitol waving Trump flags and daring police to respond. Videos circulating social media show members of the violent mob doing everything from fist-fighting with some police officers to posing for selfies with others.
A group of white supremacist rioters even staged a reenactment of George Floyd’s murder on the steps of the Capitol.
They recreated George Floyd’s death at the National Capitol City Church
These are Nazis exercising their #whiteprivilege to show how much they REALLY hate us. pic.twitter.com/EFGUVcbGYA
— ᡕᠵ᠊ᡃ່࡚ࠢ࠘ ⸝່ࠡࠣ᠊߯᠆ࠣ࠘ᡁࠣ࠘᠊᠊ࠢ࠘~♡ (@bxbyleyy_) January 6, 2021
At press time, D.C. police had made just 13 arrests. According to NBC News, one person was shot and killed and at least one explosive device was found near the Capitol.
Law enforcement’s reaction to the rioters has been a stark contrast to the brutality and over-policing that erupted in response to Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year.
I live blocks from the Capitol — this was my street following peaceful protests for Black lives in June.
Today’s security failure was no accident. pic.twitter.com/TrKbX5WlRi
— Frances Patano (@FrancesPatano) January 6, 2021
The violent day at the Capitol came as the Electoral College was scheduled to meet to certify Joe Biden’s election victory Wednesday. Hours earlier, Raphael Warnock became the first Black Senator in the state of Georgia. The state’s run-off election resulted in the Democrats gaining majority of the Senate as Jon Ossoff beat out Republican incumbent David Perdue.
For his part, Donald Trump has been inciting the violence by sharing multiple posts on social media where he claimed that the 2020 election was rigged. His most recent tweets have been flagged or deleted by Twitter and Facebook. Twitter also temporarily suspended Trump’s account.