“We are going to smell like you, move like you, and look like you. The only thing we’ll do that’s us is think like us! Jan 6th is gonna be epic.”[1] On January 5, the Washington Post warned that “[f]ar-right online forums are seething with references to potential violence and urging supporters of President Trump to bring guns to Wednesday’s protests in Washington.”[2] These calls to action, the Washington Post explained, were “direct responses to Trump’s demands that his supporters pack the nation’s capital in support of his bogus claims that November’s national vote for Biden resulted from election fraud.”[3] Other outlets reported threats to the Joint Session, with headlines such as “Violent threats ripple through far-right internet forums ahead of protest,” and “MAGA Geniuses Plot Takeover of US Capitol.”[4]
City officials, such as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, also warned that the rally posed a high risk of violence. Mayor Bowser announced that all D.C. police officers would report on January 6, and asked residents to avoid the downtown area and “not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation.”[5] Law enforcement activity in the days leading up to January 6 confirmed that the gathering was dangerous. On January 3, a Capitol Police intelligence report warned of increased risk of violence targeted against Congress “as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election.”[6] On January 5, an FBI office in Virginia also issued an
- ↑ Joshua Zitser, Far-Right Group Proud Boys Claim They Will Attend January 6 Rally ‘Incognito’ and Wear All-Black to Blend In With Antifa Protestors, Business Insider (Jan. 3, 2021).
- ↑ Craig Timberg & Drew Harwell, Pro-Trump Forums Erupt with Violent Threats Ahead of Wednesday’s Rally Against the 2020 Election, Wash. Post (Jan. 5, 2021).
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ Brandy Zadrozny & Ben Collins, Violent Threats Ripple Through Far-Right Internet Forums Ahead of Protest, NBC News (Jan. 5, 2021); Andrew Beaujon, MAGA Geniuses Plot Takeover of US Capitol, Washingtonian (Jan. 5, 2021); Luke Barr, Law Enforcement Braces For Protests As Trump Supporters Gather In Captial, ABC News (Jan. 5, 2021).
- ↑ Press Release, Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia, Mayor Bowser Continues Preparation for Upcoming First Amendment Demonstrations (Jan 3, 2021).
- ↑ Carol D. Leonnig, Capitol Police Intelligence Report Warned Three Days Before Attack That ‘Congress Itself’ Could Be Targeted, Washington Post (Jan. 15, 2021).
