Pro-Trump supporters have today stormed the US Capitol building in a bid to prevent Congress ratifying the November election results. A protest that caused a lockdown of the US Capitol has produced an emergency situation in Washington.
The ratification process, which is usually ceremonial and receives little media attention, has caused chaos for Members of Congress and their staff. Whilst the inauguration has historically been the event to garner the spotlight, Trump’s allies have caught the eye of national and international media outlets.
Capitol police attempted to prevent protestors entering the building but supporters clashed with police before successfully gaining entry. Protestors are attempting to gain access to the chamber of the House and Senate according to eyewitness reports.
Whoa: Trump supporters going at it with the police on the steps of the Capitol as Congress counts the Electoral College ballots inside https://t.co/LiQhaa5KkQ
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 6, 2021
Congress has been locked down to protect individuals inside with some donning gas masks to protect themselves from teargas. Vice-President Mike Pence has been removed from the building to a secure location. Capitol police have also evacuated office buildings in close proximity and issued warnings to personnel both inside and outside the building.
Message in the Capitol from Capitol Police: "All buildings within the Capitol Complex,Capitol: External security threat, no entry or exit is permitted, stay away from exterior windows, doors. If outside, seek cover."
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 6, 2021
Footage on social media shows crowds attempting to smash the glass doors to gain entry. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate were forced into recess and the certification of the results postponed. According to reports, one individual is in a critical condition after receiving shots to the chest and a police officer has also been hospitalised.
Protesters have breached the Capitol. They’re outside the Senate chamber pic.twitter.com/I021tKliUD
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
The President’s unfounded claims the election was stolen from him have undoubtedly contributed the protest in a final attempt to prevent Biden being sworn in on January 20th. Despite a clear majority for Biden of 306-232, it is clear Trump still has no plans to concede the election. However, Trump has encouraged protestors to go home in a video posted to his Twitter account.
He said, “We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it”, reasserting his belief in electoral fraud.
In the midst of the ensuing chaos, the Associated Press confirmed the second seat in the Senate runoff elections was won by Democratic candidate, Jon Ossoff. As well as winning the Presidency, the Democrats now also control the Senate.
Bethany Collins
Featured image courtesy of Caleb Fisher via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license can be found here.
This is a breaking news story. All information was correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.
Bethany Collins
First Class Politics graduate from the University of Exeter. Exeposé Print Features Editor 2020-21. Contributing writer, workshop host and former Current Affairs Editor (2020) for Empoword Journalism.