On Wednesday we saw what some have been calling, “one of the darkest days in American history.” A mob of people stormed the capitol building where congress was confirming the win of the election for president-elect Joe Biden. Congress and other important political figures were forced to hide for their very lives while protesters successfully entered the building. The entire DC national guard was activated. Four people were killed during the riots, with one of them being a veteran fatally shot. 14 officers were injured, one assaulted and hospitalized, while another received “significant fatal injuries,” from being hit with a fire extinguisher.
Many have been looking into what has led up to these events. Most are citing the blame on president Trump, claiming that he has been provoking violence. Flames between the divided America have been high since the election and especially since Trump has been still claiming that he has won the election. The thousands of people who went to the building came from Trump’s rally that same day. At the rally he claimed to have won the election and is quoted for saying, “If you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore,” and, “We are going to the capitol.” Many are arguing if this is really inciting the violence, especially since he also said, “Peacefully and Patriotically make your voices heard.”
Since the riots, many are praising vice president Mike Pence for handling the riots and going against Trump, seemingly being the voice of reason in the storm. Trump has been impeached for the second time in his one-presidential term. Many politicians have publicly condemned the event: including all past presidents and even Republicans. Some are comparing the riots to those in the summer and comparing how both were handled.
Very few protesters were successfully arrested Wednesday for simply because of the lack of manpower. Many are stating that since they knew of the protest beforehand, the security should have been higher than what was actually present. Many see this as an embarrassment of our national security. The whole ordeal was highly videotaped as there are photos of people carrying flags, sitting in congress, and even in Nancy Pelosi’s office. Most of them have been arrested now and are facing federal charges. The FBI is still arresting protesters today and are taking tips.
Today, DC is still in a public emergency state with a curfew. Security is on it’s highest level with many in fear of another deadlier attack on inauguration day this Wednesday that Trump has even stated he will not attend. Do you believe the rioters should be protected under the 1st amendment? Did Trump incite the crowd and should he be impeached? Should and how do these compare to the summer protests? Should we blame those who are supposed to protect the capitol or were they just unprepared?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55640437
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/dc-protests-trump-rally-live-updates/
I do not think that the rioters should be protected under the First Amendment. While their actions may be considered of an expression of speech, their actions were also those of terrorists and have caused fear and frustration to be in the hearts of American citizens. -Kirstyn
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