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A fence around the Capitol is to protect the congress headquarters from demonstrators
Photo: Sue Dorfman / dpa
A good eight months after the storming of the Capitol in Washington, supporters of the then US President Donald Trump want to march there again. For Saturday (6 p.m., German time), a demonstration is planned in front of the congress headquarters in the capital in support of the imprisoned defendants who will have to answer in court because of the storming of the Capitol on January 6th. Hundreds of demonstrators, some of them right-wing extremists, are expected at the rally under the motto »Justice for J6«.
Shortly before planned demonstrations, the US Department of Defense put the National Guard on standby.
The US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered on Friday that 100 National Guardsmen should stand by to assist the police in protecting the seat of Congress.
The Capitol Police had asked the Department of Defense for help.
Temporarily again a fence as protection
The demonstration was organized by a former employee of Trump's campaign team.
A few days before the demonstration, Trump himself expressed his solidarity with those who were "so unfairly persecuted" in connection with January 6th.
A fence was temporarily rebuilt around the Capitol with a view to the rally to protect the congress headquarters.
The fence was erected after the storm in January and only dismantled in July.
The Capitol police were criticized at the time because the parliament's security forces were unable to repel the attack.
Trump supporters had forcibly stormed the seat of Congress on January 6th.
Trump supporters broke police barriers in droves and entered the Capitol while Senators and MPs were in the process of formally confirming Joe Biden's November victory.
The meeting rooms had to be evacuated.
Five people were killed, including a police officer.
The unprecedented attack on the heart of US democracy caused a shock both nationally and internationally.
Trump had to face impeachment proceedings for the attack because he had previously incited his supporters at a rally.
However, at the end of the trial, the Republican was acquitted.
The background to the attack is being further investigated in Congress.
More than 500 people have been charged in connection with the storming of the Capitol.
kfr / Reuters / dpa
