US Capitol braced for rally supporting Jan 6 rioters
WASHINGTON: Washington was on high alert Friday on the eve of a rally in support of the pro-Trump rioters who ransacked the US Capitol on Jan 6, with security forces better prepared to avoid a repeat of the mayhem.
A black fence that surrounded the complex for six months after the deadly riot has been put back up for the weekend along with surveillance cameras, although police have no indication of a specific plot associated with Saturday’s ‘Justice for J6’ rally.
Capitol Police nevertheless warned in a news conference there had been “some threats of violence,” with a counter-rally scheduled to take place nearby.
“We are hoping and expecting a peaceful event this weekend but our operational plan is scalable, so that we will be ready to handle anything that occurs,” said Sean Gallagher, acting assistant chief for the Capitol Police’s uniformed operations.
The force says while demonstration organisers obtained a permit for 700 protesters, officers are prepared for a larger turnout.
The National Guard has 100 officers standing ready to act as a “physical security task force” backing up the Capitol Police and local law enforcement if requested.
“What we’re concerned about, I think more than anything, is the possibility of counterdemonstrators making it to this demonstration and there being violence between those two groups,” Capitol police chief Tom Manger told reporters.
Members of Congress will not be in the building on Saturday, with many still on summer recess and not back in town until next week.
Manger said some lawmakers had been invited to the rally but all had declined.