Angry Mob Descends on the Capital Building

     On January  6th, while Congress held a meeting for the Electoral College to count votes and confirm Joe Biden’s win, an angry mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol where the meeting took place. At the former president’s invalid remarks that the election was unfair, his supporters were called to unlawful action. After Trump spoke at the “Save America” rally, encouraging the people to “fight like hell”, thousands of angry supporters stormed, looted, and vandalized the building in which they proceeded to occupy for several hours. The event led to six people dead and dozens injured.

     Rioters turned violent, attacking police officers and reporters, and going as far as setting up gallows. Sophomore Sahib Singh talks about what he has learned about the attacks. “I know they wanted to kill vice president Pence and Speaker Pelosi, and I know they almost burned the electoral college ballots.” Capitol Police had to evacuate and lock down the Senate and House of Representatives chambers, and several buildings in the Capitol complex. People have speculated on the fact that white Trump supporters were able to gain entry and occupy the building so easily, and how little resistance they were met with compared to previous riots made by non-white protestors. “Many of the people were carrying confederate flags, and other white supremacist hate symbols.”

    The rioting ended later that day and the electoral votes were finished by morning, confirming that President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris would assume office. Several online platforms like Twitter have since banned Trump from using them after the storming of the Capitol was proven to be incited by him. “I believe it was the right thing to do, because he has used social media to spread hate and lies,” says Singh. “There should also be repercussions like conviction and banning him from running for future office,”.