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US Capitol in Washington: the rebellion of Donald Trump and his supporters

2021-01-07T04:28:38.024Z


An angry crowd of supporters of the elected president storms the Capitol, scenes like civil war. America is in shock. How could that happen?


Icon: enlarge

Trump fans storm the Washington Capitol

Photo: SHANNON STAPLETON / REUTERS

There is a bang in front of the Capitol.

Then smoke.

The police shoot tear gas into the crowd and advance in full gear.

Clubs fly, screams.

One man is bleeding, another has collapsed howling in the tear gas mist.

Flags fly in between, with the name "Donald Trump" on them.

There are scenes like civil war that take place in and in front of the American Parliament.

A mob of supporters of incumbent President Donald Trump storms the seat of the two houses of parliament and tries to disrupt, yes, prevent the official proclamation of the new, legally elected President Joe Biden.

It will be hours before the police regain control and secure the building.

Actually, the official proclamation of the president by Congress is a pure formality.

It takes place after every election in January and is usually completely unspectacular.

But on this day everything is different.

The session suddenly has to be interrupted.

The Capitol Building, that proud, gleaming white symbol of great American democracy, is being desecrated by the angry mob.

"We're angry, damn it"

Supporters of Donald Trump sit on the chairs of the members of parliament and make faces.

They bang on the door of a conference room, the parliamentarians flee into their offices and bolt the doors.

A shot is fired by security officers.

A Trump supporter dies.

There has never been such chaos here, at least not since British soldiers set fire to the Capitol building in the War of 1812.

Kevin, 51, from the state of Delaware is one of those who got through to the Capitol that day.

He ran through the building, looked at everything.

Together with other protesters, he wanted to go to the meeting room.

But then they were pushed back by security officers with weapons drawn.

After the storm, Kevin stands outside the door and reports excitedly about what he had experienced.

His aim was to finally teach the Washington establishment a lesson.

"The politicians only think of themselves, not of us, the people." Donald Trump was the only person who ever really stood up for the masses.

But the "election victory" had been stolen from him.

"We're angry, damn it."

In his hand Kevin holds the war flag of the southern states, a symbol of racism, slavery - and for the rebellion of the Confederate against the government in Washington at the time of the civil war.

Kevin had the Confederate flag with him in the Capitol.

It was probably the first time in US history that anyone dared to publicly display this hated symbol there.

During the civil war, Confederate troops never penetrated into central Washington.

"I'm proud we went in there," Kevin says of the storm on the Capitol.

"We have set an example."

After the storm there will be many questions: How did it come to this?

Where were the police when the mob suddenly broke through all the barriers at lunchtime and entered the building?

And above all: who encouraged people to do it?

At least there is a quick and clear answer to this: Donald Trump, the current president obviously intended to cause this chaos.

He has been stirring up his supporters for months, he has spread lies about the allegedly "rigged" election.

And he has denied his elected successor Joe Biden legitimacy to become the 46th President of the United States.

Icon: enlarge

Protesters in front of the US Capitol in Washington: "We're angry, damn it."

Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock

Trump's responsibility

It is an attempted coup with an announcement: The demonstrators who come to the capital that day will be expressly asked by Trump that morning to go to the Capitol to demonstrate against Biden's appointment as president.

Trump has specially invited the crowd, his most loyal fans from across the country, to Washington.

They have come by the thousands, some from very far away.

Before the storm begins, he speaks to his fans in front of the White House.

Once again he spreads the lie that he was cheated out of winning the election.

"Don't allow the theft," he calls out to the crowd.

Then everything goes very quickly.

As soon as Trump's speech is over, the crush begins in front of the Capitol, and the first Trump supporters storm the stairs that are part of the security area.

There are usually police officers here, they are heavily armed.

However, for years they have been trained to repel terrorists, suicide bombers, and individual stray weirdos with weapons.

There is immediate shooting.

Apparently no one here is prepared for the onslaught of a crowd that has gone wild, also because something like this has never happened before.

It was thought to be an impossibility by those responsible.

Trump fans wear the typical red hats with the words "Make America Great Again".

They wave the blue Trump flags.

There is a real festival atmosphere on the stairs and terraces around the building, the police watch for a long time.

Initially, the special forces are simply missing to put an end to the ghost.

They are only mobilized later and some of them have to be driven from the surrounding area.

"Our opponents want to destroy us"

"This is great here," said a happy Zach, 22. He and his father Dave, 45, drove to Washington from Kentucky to demonstrate for Trump and against Biden.

Father and son proudly wear sweaters that read: "Civil War."

Like many Trump fans, they believe in the story of the alleged election fraud.

“Our protest here is a sign to the representatives of the people.

There should be an investigation of the choice, ”says Dave.

"If the Democrats have nothing to hide, they can allow the investigation."

This is how protester Rudy, 47, from Illinois sees it.

He didn't go to the Capitol, but he thinks what the crowd is doing is right.

He is standing in front of the entrance to the building and is wearing a soldier costume from the time of the American Revolution.

With the costume he wants to set an example: "As in the revolution against the British, we are defending ourselves against paternalism by foreign powers," he says.

He repeats many of the conspiracy myths that Trump fans are so fond of.

The "opponents of America" ​​wanted to "divide and destroy the country," he says.

Trump is the only one who recognized the danger.

That's why America's enemies wanted to get rid of him.

“Our country is in a great crisis.

Something has to happen. "

Then Rudy rolls up his flag.

He's got enough for today.

In front of the Capitol, the police finally begin to clear the stairs.

Many Trump fans insult the police officers as "traitors".

A man yells at the officers: "We are on your side, how can you proceed against us here, you pigs."

The policemen will not be deterred.

Bit by bit, the space in front of the Capitol is being cleared.

The spook is over.

The only question is for how long.

America will probably not forget this day, the low point of all the low points of the Trump era.

Icon: The mirror

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-01-07

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