Posted on 01/11/2021 7:33:22 AM PST by Kaslin
Warning: Story contains graphic content.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The pro-Trump rally near the White House on Wednesday turned into a riot on the steps and inside the halls of the Capitol building.
I made my way over to the Capitol building, the site of many protests, in the afternoon after I was told large numbers of people were starting to go there since members of Congress were getting ready to certify President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the November election.
Wanting to save time, and my legs, I took the Metro to the Capitol South station. I walked towards the west side, which faces the Lincoln Memorial, and could hear screaming and metal banging. I saw people tearing away the construction fencing that is only meant to section off areas ahead of the inauguration. Trump supporters easily overwhelmed the small number of Capitol Police officers, who were not in riot gear, and go onto the steps of the Capitol. People then made their way up the scaffolding with officers chasing close behind.
Thousands of people were now at the Capitol building and officers could not hold back the rioters who were fighting back attempts to push them away. Projectiles were thrown at officers, mace and bear spray were heavily used from both sides. Officers on the upper balcony were shooting pepper balls at the crowd. I was hit in the hand and upper bicep with pepper balls.
Eventually, the officers fell back because they did not have the numbers needed to hold the defensive line they had established. Rioters breached the complex in multiple entrances and exits. I followed a crowd that was making their way over to the east side of the building. A mass of people were on the main steps that lead towards the Rotunda and were trying to squeeze into the narrow doorways.
I was able to make my way inside the Rotunda and people were milling about at first, but the chaos started once again when Capitol police and D.C. Metro officers started to push everyone out through the one exit. This created a very dangerous situation. Everyone was packed really tight against each other with nowhere to go because people outside the building were still trying to push their way in. People were falling on top of each other and those unlucky enough were starting to be trampled on. It was getting impossible to breathe to the point where I thought I was going to die from suffocation right inside the Rotunda. I knew that if I fell down, I was not going to get back up.
I was able to inch my way towards the doorway. I locked eyes with a man and screamed, "PULL ME OUT!" He grabbed my ballistic vest and yanked me out.
Once outside, I collected myself and continued to film law enforcement's efforts to secure the Capitol building. More CS gas and pepper spray were used. The situation became hairy for members of the media as a mob ran off reporters and destroyed camera equipment.
Things mostly calmed down on the east side once the 6:00 p.m. curfew drew closer. The police now outnumbered the Trump supporters who stayed behind. I left Washington, D.C. via the Metro to appear on Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson's and Shannon Bream's shows.
In a lot of ways, it was just a surreal moment in my career of covering protests and riots. While it was contained to the Capitol Hill area, almost nothing can top the significance of rioters breaching the building that houses one of the United States' central pillars of government.
In addition to many officers being injured, Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick died from the injuries he sustained after defending the Capitol while Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was shot and killed by police after trying to enter the Speaker's Lobby.
Townhall's Frontline Footage of Capitol Building Riots
What a relief, antifa and blm were nowhere to be seen. (/sarc).
A spontaneous riot by Trump supporters, of course, those darned Trump supporters always riot, burn and destroy.
One thing I haven’t seen anywhere....
The riot at the capital building started almost immediately after the President finished speaking - meaning, the people who started it weren’t present in the Ellipse when the speech was finished. -— They could not have been ‘incited’ by the President.
Who does these things? Trump supporters, or antifa/blm?
The douchebag at the 3-minute mark pushing his buddy into the cop from behind. Shortly after the ensuing melee, he is seen reeling from a face full of mace. Idiot...
Disheartening video but ultimately what decent people can be driven to when freedom is stolen from them. I know that I was really hoping that something very, very significant (like live witness testimony from someone deeply involved who had turned, something that congress could not ignore) was going to be revealed at this rally. Just didn’t make sense to call for a lot of angry patriots to come and say it would be wild without anything new.
Pelosi needed the riot to happen in order to shutdown debate and testimony from EVER being heard in Congress....IMHO.
I spoke with a local woman who attended the Wednesday rally - a well respected business woman. She said where she was the crowd were mostly middle-aged men and woman with a number of families with children. It was a well behaved crowd in good spirits and she saw none of the dark clothed, helmeted people she later saw on video. The whole area was packed with Trump supporters as far as the eye could see. After the speeches they all turned to walk to the Capital where they were to gather on the North lawn where she expected more speeches, and singing. As she approached the Capital she saw the dark-clothed crowd of people rushing the Capital, ripping away the barricades and she could tell it would not end well. She said at that point she and most all near her returned to their hotels and watched on TV.
Why the attempt by the media, democrats, DOJ etc., to steamroll the American people with "there was no evidence of election fraud of the magnitude that would have changed the outcome of the election"? Disinformation campaign. Election fraud investigation takes time.
No legal mechanism to address potential areas of election fraud, before or after the election
Stonewalling and obfuscation by election officials
I do not condone any violence. It was also terrible what congress was doing: certifying fraudulent election results.
Was this guy there for a protest or was he there for a riot. Just because some antifa member breaks through a police barricade doesn’t mean you have to follow him through it.
I left the west side of the Capitol at 1:00 and fences were up. I was on the east side of the Capitol when the President finished his speech. Three minutes later I was walking to the west side and started hearing flash bangs and seeing downed fencing. No way people from that ellipse crowd started the problem.
By 1pm the Capitol police chief was calling for reinforcements. Trump had not even finished his speech (1:11). Trump was about 35 minutes late starting his speech and the planned incursion was set for a certain time, so as to disrupt the count. The agitators went ahead anyway, because their schedule was tied to disrupting the voting.
The reps had just retired to consider the Arizona objection when all hell broke loose. I will never believe this was not coordinated by Pelosi. These stupid talking points about insurrection are idiocy.
There were probably about a busload of Antifa types who led unaware Trump supporters into the Capitol after police opened the gates and doors. While there was probably chaos inside, outside was millions of people watching, even picnicing on the grassy hill.
At 3:08 when you see the two burly men in light blue, look on the left at the guy wearing a black hat on top of a red hat.
A picture is worth a thousand words ...
Heh...
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3923986/posts
This thread has been pulled.
Pulled on 01/11/2021 8:24:07 AM PST by Admin Moderator, reason:
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These are ANTIFA and BLM, not MAGA.
The DC police knew in advance, and congressional security did zip to prepare, when congressional security answers to Pelosi and McConnell. This was a set up to stop the testimony from going forward, plain and simple.
Sure appears to be very odd set of events.
Pelosi needed the riot to happen in order to shutdown debate and testimony from EVER being heard in Congress....IMHO
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Makes more sense than anything else.
Very ugly.
I blame those who took the bait and made us all look bad. Now anyone who doesn’t publicly espouse Dem talking points will be targeted. A true Reichstag fire.
12:55 Capital building is breached.
1:10 Trump finishes his speech.
A million MAGA begin to walk over to Capital.
And your reporter was wearing his “ballistic vest.” Did he have a big “PRESS” sign on his hat?
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