'J6' RALLY A BUST
4 arrests at sparse protest
A massive police response resulted in four arrests Saturday outside the fenced-off US Capitol as right-wing protesters denounced what they called the “inhumane treatment” of dozens of Jan. 6 rioters who remain jailed while awaiting trials.
Fewer than 500 people gathered at the Justice for J6 rally on the grassy expanse of Union Square, near the reflecting pool.
Rally organizer Matt Braynard, of the group Look Ahead America, made light of the huge show of force.
“It’s a little bit of overkill, but I respect it,” he joked as he spoke to his supporters.
Counterprotesters mixed freely with the crowd — including three members of Code Pink, who stood near the stage with a sign reading “Jan 6 Rioters Go to Jail.” One man in a shirt reading “Activism / Racism” was hustled away by Metropolitan Police officers after getting into a shouting match with rallygoers.
US Capitol Police arrested one man on weapons charges when he was found to be armed with a gun, they said, and another man who arrived at the demonstration with a knife. Two Texans were arrested before the rally began when their vehicle was found to contain a firearm.
The light attendance caught some law-enforcement officers off guard. Big-name Republicans stayed away from the gathering. Instead, family members of two detainees spoke to the crowd, describing alleged abusive treatment over months of incarceration.
Two GOP congressional candidates — Joe Kent of Washington state and Mike Collins of Georgia — said they had come to support the prisoners’ constitutional rights to free speech and speedy trials.
“It’s our God-given right and duty as Americans to question the narrative,” Kent said.
As the noon start approached, small groups of people walked from Union Station toward the Mall. Many carried American flags; some could be heard swapping war stories from Jan. 6.
One woman told a friend that she was at the Capitol when police started to tear-gas Trump supporters. “If they did that to Black Lives Matter, you’d never hear the end of it!” her friend exclaimed.
US Capitol Police, nervous about a reprise of the chaos that led to five deaths Jan. 6, requested reinforcements from the Pentagon this week to fend off any attacks from rallygoers. A company of 100 National Guard troops was expected to patrol the event.