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Alexander Marquardt, CNN reporter
"Let's go. Let's go."
"Let's go" - CNN reporter Alexander Marquardt repeats these words more than six times until the camera team has to flee to get to safety from the angry mob in front of the Capitol.
The team is harassed and molested for a good two minutes.
"F *** you!"
"Get out of here!"
"Disappears!"
"Fuck CNN!"
Eventually a Trump supporter gets violent.
A dangerous situation for CNN reporter Alexander Marquardt and his team, as he tells in an interview with his colleague.
Brian Stelter, CNN presenter
“Alex, I want viewers to know that the news crews had security by their side on Wednesday.
We don't usually talk about it.
But that's part of the reality.
And despite the security staff and your experience as a foreign correspondent, you were in the middle of this mob.
Did you feel that you might be injured or killed at that moment? "
Alexander Marquardt, CNN reporter
“Oh, absolutely. It was very scary, it was a very dangerous moment. We were all very upset afterwards. We knew, Brian, that this was a hostile crowd, both to journalists in general and to CNN in particular. Throughout the day we kept thinking about how close we should get to do our job, but also to stay safe. And by that point, when we ventured out, there were supporters in the Capitol. We wanted to get a little closer to see what was going on. At one point - I still don't know how - they found out we were from CNN. That was when the crowd really got on us. And Brian, there was this wave of aggression and anger that just sloshed through the crowd. And you could see everyone starting to look at us and turn against us. People called us "traitors", they chanted "USA" and shouted, "Fuck off". That was pretty much the nicest. It got a lot more aggressive. There were guys who said, "We're a lot more than you. We could destroy you completely." In the end, there was a big guy in an orange sweater pushing people back and saying, "We're not like that." I would say to him: Thank you for trying to prevent physical violence against us. But with respect: most of the people out there behaved the opposite way. "
These scenes also show that many of Trump's supporters acted aggressively towards journalists.
The right-wing mob presses camera teams, after all the Trump supporters destroy the equipment.
The anger at the media is by no means new.
US President Donald Trump has been reigniting them for years.
But even for seasoned reporters like Alexander Marquardt, it reached a sad climax that day.
Brian Stelter, CNN presenter
“You wrote about the Arab Spring in the Middle East. Now you are reporting something similar from DC. Would you have ever thought that you would see something like this in Washington or in the United States? "
Alexander Marquardt, CNN reporter
“In short, not really, at least not when I came back to the States over three years ago. But there was a moment this Wednesday, Brian, when our colleague Jake Tapper told me it felt like he was speaking to a foreign correspondent. And I actually had the feeling that I was a foreign correspondent again. What I saw, what I heard, what I heard and witnessed from the local people, I felt like a foreign correspondent again. It was shocking to see this happening in my own country. In the city I live in just two miles from my house. At the same time, we are taught to believe that America is extraordinary, that America has an extraordinary democracy. I really believe this is a reflection of where we are now. The people who were outside, millions of people across the country, have been told that their land has been stolen, their votes stolen, that the press is the enemy of the people. So it's no real surprise when something like this happens. So it is with our country. The divisions, tribalism, sectarianism - these are the words we use when we as foreign correspondents report on other countries. That's where we landed. So when we see scenes like this when I witness them we should be stunned and shocked. But if you've been paying attention, we really shouldn't be surprised. "