High barrier walls, police officers in riot gear armed with shields, rows of trucks: anxious to avoid reliving the trauma of the deadly assault on the Capitol, the American authorities had seen big to welcome Saturday in Washington the small hundred demonstrators came to demand the release of the rioters of January 6.
Read also United States: no commission of inquiry into the assault on the Capitol on January 6
“
Free them! Free them!
»: Gathered in front of the seat of the American Congress, protected by a device appearing disproportionate, this modest crowd tried to put pressure to end the imprisonment of supporters of Donald Trump, accused of having sowed chaos in the American capital, but which they qualify as "
political prisoners
".
"
It's our Capitol, that of the taxpayers, so we have the right to go there when we want
", pleads with AFP Daniel, 35, pointing to the building with the white dome, which the whole world has followed the invasion live on that cold winter afternoon.
The man who does not wish to say whether he himself was present at the riot of January 6 has moved to call for the release of his "
friends
", imprisoned unjustly in his eyes.
"
Rights violated
"
On January 6, thousands of Donald Trump supporters gathered outside the White House to listen to whoever was still president. Then several hundred of them, crying out fraud during the presidential election in November, won by Joe Biden, had forced the entry of the Capitol while the parliamentarians, in the presence of Vice-President Mike Pence, certified the victory of the Democrat .
More than 600 people were arrested for their participation in the attack and the majority were indicted, for more or less heavy counts. More than 50 have pleaded guilty and on the other hand, six have been convicted in federal courts. "
Their rights are violated
", denounces to AFP David Thacker. “
Their crimes do not justify the way they are treated,
” insists the 63-year-old man from neighboring Virginia.
The crowd, in which some wear t-shirts in memory of this January day, also chants the name of Ashli Babbitt, a protester shot dead by a police officer as she tried by force to reach the hemicycle of representatives room. The former soldier was erected as a martyr by these demonstrators.
The organizers of the rally had received permission for 700 people to gather near the Capitol, but the crowd was far below, surrounded by numerous reporters. Another notable difference is that Congress was not sitting on Saturday and parliamentarians were therefore not inside when the demonstrators gathered. The police, who announced that they had separated groups of demonstrators and counter-demonstrators who shouted at each other without causing "
any incident
", reported 4 arrests.
