In front of a fortress-like Capitol, a few hundred demonstrators showed up in front of the United States Congress building on Saturday in support of those accused in the January 6 assault. The number of police and journalists present, however, greatly exceeded the number of demonstrators.
The Capitol Police Department took no risk, deploying hundreds of officers who were dispatched to Washington to prevent overflows, such as those that took place days before President Joe Biden was sworn in. The fence surrounding the building was also put back in place, while the city police and the National Guard were called in as reinforcements.
Spirits heated a few times at the start of the rally and one person was arrested for carrying a knife, police said, but no major incidents were reported at the start of the protest. The police still remained on the lookout to avoid confrontations between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators.
Police were also preparing for the possibility that some protesters would arrive with weapons. Backpacks were permitted on the premises, however, and no searches were carried out.
The rally took place on vacant lots, far from the Capitol. Inside the building, riot shields had been placed near doors and windows, which was not the case on January 6. During the assault, officers inside had no riot gear and were quickly overwhelmed when the crowd entered.
The demonstration aimed to support those detained after the January 6 uprising. Of the more than 600 people accused in connection with the riot, around 63 are still behind bars. About 30 of them are held in Washington, while the rest are held elsewhere in the country.
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