Riot at the capitol building in support of Trump was a direct result of the former president’s instigation

On January 6th, in the early afternoon protestors marched to the capitol and stormed the building. The protest then turned into a riot and caused the electoral college count to be delayed as they were forced to go into a shelter in place.

Lexie Blakeman

News Editor

Donald Trump’s large ego and lack of common sense led directly to an act of domestic terrorism on the capitol as he prompted his supporters to protest against the congressional certification of Joe Biden as the victor of the 2020 election. On January 6th, in the early afternoon protestors marched to the capitol and stormed the building. The protest then turned into a riot and caused the electoral college count to be delayed as they were forced to go into a shelter in place.

The protestors were able to break past the security of the capitol and enter then forcibly occupied the evacuated Senate chamber while guards drew handguns to prevent entry to the evacuated house floor. Due to this very serious situation, several buildings in the U.S. Capitol Complex were evacuated. All of the buildings in the complex were subsequently locked down after this.

Inside the building, rioters smashed windows and stole various items. Along with this, they placed various explosive devices inside the building. Among the pro-Trump rioters 4 people died, 3 unspecified rioters from nonspecific medical emergencies and Ashli Babbitt of San Diego was shot and killed by one of the officers according to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department.

This act of sedition was the first time that the capitol had been overrun since the 1814 burning of Washington by the British during the war of 1812. It has prompted Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to debate invoking the 25th amendment and removing President Trump from office before the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20th.

Along with storming the capitol, mobs of Trump supporters stormed other government buildings including state capitals, one of them being California’s capitol Sacramento. Protestors broke into the buildings and committed various acts of vandalism including smashing in windows. In reaction to Trump inciting violence through these social media platforms his accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have all been suspended. This display of aggression orchestrated by the President was an attack on democracy and the legacy of our nation.