Protesters fired after photos released
WASHINGTON• Some of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol were fired from their jobs on Thursday after internet sleuths publicized their identities.
The District of Columbia police department released photos of people in Wednesday’s melee and potential charges against them. Some 68 people were arrested after angry protesters stormed the building, breaking windows, damaging fixtures and stealing furnishings.
The FBI also asked the public to help it identify rioters, a call that drew ribbing on social media in light of the prolific coverage of the event. This included selfies posted by participants and videos of President Donald Trump’s supporters at area hotels before the attack.
Some individuals who had previously been photographed at Trump rallies and supporters of the QAnon conspiracy-theory movement were quickly identified. Online detectives focused their efforts on others.
“Let’s name and shame them!” read one Twitter thread devoted to outing participants.
One of the people shown in the D.C. police photos wore his work identification badge inside the capitol and was identified and fired by his employer, Navistar Direct Marketing of Fredrick, Maryland.
“While we support all employees’ right to peaceful, lawful exercise of free speech, any employee demonstrating dangerous conduct that endangers the health and safety of others will no longer have an employment opportunity with Navistar Direct Marketing,” the company said in a statement.
Libby Andrews, a real estate agent from Chicago, was fired by @properties and removed from its website, even though she had not entered the Capitol, she said in an interview. Andrews said she had climbed the steps of the Capitol without encountering security, posted selfies from the scene on Instagram, sang the national anthem and then moved on.
A spokeswoman for @ properties said Andrews’ actions and social media comments “were not consistent with our standards of conduct, and as a result the company made the decision to end its affiliation with her.”
Rick Saccone, an adjunct professor at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Penn., resigned after the college reviewed a video he posted from the scene. “As a result of that investigation, Dr. Saccone has submitted and we have accepted his letter of resignation, effective immediately,” the college said.
Paul Davis, a lawyer at Westlake, Texas-based Goosehead Insurance, used a social media account to broadcast his participation at the capitol. A Goosehead spokesperson confirmed Davis had been fired.