The insurrection and its aftermath: Memories of the Capitol storm spark unrest in America’s election year

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“This is the first national election since the January 6 insurrection, when a dagger was plunged into the throat of American democracy,” the Democrat said during a campaign appearance in the US state of Pennsylvania on Friday (local time). “At the start of this election year, we must be clear that voting is about democracy.”

The political mood in the US is heated. The upcoming presidential elections will be the first since the dramatic upheavals surrounding the 2020 election, which culminated in an unprecedented outbreak of violence. As things stand now, there will be a possible rematch of the race between Biden and Trump in 2024. This fuels fears that chaos and violence could break out again.

The long shadow of January 6

On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters stormed the parliament building in the capital Washington. Congress met there to formally confirm Biden’s victory. Five people were killed as a result of the riots. Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech with the baseless claim that the election victory had been stolen from him through massive fraud – he has repeated this statement several times since.

This was also the case on Friday during a campaign event in the state of Iowa, where the first Republican primaries will take place on January 15. Anyone who wants to run for office as a Republican or Democratic candidate must first win in the internal party votes. “We won twice and we will win a third time,” Trump told supporters who greeted him with chants of “USA, USA, USA.” This election is the last chance to save America. “The fight starts on January 15 in Iowa and Joe Biden’s banana republic ends on November 5, 2024.”

In Pennsylvania, Biden expressed concern about the potential consequences of such rhetoric. “Trump and his supporters are not only advocating political violence, they are laughing at it,” he warned. The Republican is ready to seize power. There is no doubt about “who Trump is and what he plans to do.” Political violence is never acceptable in the United States, Biden said. “Never never never.”

In the US, there is significant disagreement over the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. According to a recent survey, about a third of adults believe that Biden was not legally elected at the time. A quarter suspect the FBI was behind the storming of the Capitol – a claim also spread by right-wing populist media and which law enforcement authorities have repeatedly denied.

Increased threats against government officials

As the new election year begins, US Attorney General Merrick Garland complained on Friday about increasing threats against officials and democratic institutions in the country. Garland said there has been a “deeply disturbing increase in threats” against FBI agents, federal judges, presidential candidates, members of Congress, military personnel and election workers. Several bomb threats have been received against courthouses across the country in recent days. And the day before, investigators arrested an individual who threatened to kill a member of Congress and his children.

“This is just a small snapshot of a larger trend,” Garland said. “These threats of violence are unacceptable.” They threatened the democratic structure in the country. After January 6, 2021, the Department of Justice launched the largest, most complex and resource-intensive investigation in its history to hold those involved accountable. “To date, we have charged more than 12,150 people and obtained more than 890 convictions in connection with the Jan. 6 attack,” Garland said, emphasizing, “Our work continues.” (SDA)

Source: Blick