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Four police officers involved in the defense of the Capitol later took their own lives (archive picture dated January 6)
Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP
After the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, seven police officers sued former President Donald Trump and members of right-wing extremist militias. The Capitol Police Department's lawsuit was filed in a Washington DC court. The defendants are accused of an "unlawful attempt" to "use violence, intimidation and threats to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election."
This attempt resulted in the police being "violently attacked, spat at, sprayed with tear gas and bear spray, being the target of racist insults and swear words" and having to fear for their lives. Five of the police officers are African American. The lawsuit is directed not only against Trump but also against Trump's campaign team, long-time Trump confidante Roger Stone and members of the extremist groups "Proud Boys", "Oath Keepers" and "Three Percenters".
Radical Trump supporters stormed Congress on January 6th, when the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election in November was to be confirmed there.
The elected Trump had previously repeated his completely unsubstantiated accusation of massive election fraud and urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and "fight the hell out of it."
During and on the verge of the violence, there were a total of five deaths.
A Capitol Police officer who was attacked by protesters died the following day.
Four police officers who helped defend the Capitol later killed themselves.
More than a hundred police officers were injured.
In the past few months, other police officers, but also members of the Democratic Party of Parliament, have filed lawsuits against Trump.
In addition, a House of Representatives committee of inquiry has launched an investigation into the storming of the Capitol.
MEPs recently requested comprehensive documents from the National Archives and seven authorities, including those relating to Trump's communications.
He refuses to this day to recognize his electoral defeat against Biden.
He regularly spreads the conspiracy myths that he was deprived of a second term through electoral fraud.
kim / AFP / Reuters