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US Capitol infiltrated by Trump supporters, Here is what all happened

Know how Twitter reacted on the Capitol infiltration


 

Thousands of President Trump’s supporters in Washington violently stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday morning promoting evacuations, arrests and injuries. The day had started with peaceful demonstrations but turned violent as many in attendance saw Wednesday as the last stand for Trump because Congress was set to declare Joe Biden as the new President.

Throngs of people hushed past police to enter the US Capitol building where lawmakers were debating electoral college votes. A mob was able to breach security and successfully enter the building where one woman was shot and later died.

Donald Trump, who lost the popular and electoral college vote continues to assert that elections results were rigged without evidence. He had encouraged his supporters to attend the rallies and took the stage around noon to roaring crowds, where he falsely claimed that he had won the election.

Protestors had initially gathered for demonstrations at the National Mall earlier in the day to protest against the November election results as Congress began to count Electoral College votes. But the rally turned to violence when President Trump asked his supporters to go to Capitol.

Demonstrators wielding Trump Hats and “Make America Great Again” flags breached Capitol barricades, scaled the building’s balconies, smashed windows. This prompted the security team to escort Vice President Mike Pence to a secure location and the Senate chamber or be evacuated.

 

Shots were fired

A woman was shot during the confrontations with security. She was later taken to hospital where she was declared dead. A video uploaded on Twitter showed a woman inside the Capitol with blood coming out of her mouth and police trying to give her medical help.

 

Read more: What are the diplomatic challenges and opportunities for India in 2021?

 

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How many people have been arrested?

As per the reports, Washington D.C. police chief Robert J. Contee has said that as many as 13 people have been arrested so far, and five firearms had been recovered during the pro-Trump protests. The numbers of arrests are expected to increase as police have said that anyone found on the streets after 6 pm curfew would be arrested.

 

The Capitol was on lockdown

U.S. Capitol Police ordered a lockdown as soon as Trump protestors barged into the Capitol. Senators and members of the House were locked, some were barricaded inside their respective chambers and no one was permitted to enter the building.

The Mayor of Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced an overnight curfew for the city, starting at 6 p.m. local time. The Pentagon said that the National Guard of the Washington D.C. were mobilized to support the local law enforcement. The Capitol was declared secure after being in lockdown for about three and a half hours.

 

How did protestors get into the Capitol?

USA Today in its report said that only a small group of riot police stood outside the back of the Capitol building in the early afternoon. When rioters called for breaching the building, hundreds started swarming into the area. Protestors began climbing up the back balcony and side of the building and police appeared to retreat. Police attempted to secure once section outside the building after the break-in but were quickly overwhelmed.

Civil rights leaders blasted law enforcement agencies for not being able to respond fastly, noting the massive show of police force in place for Black Lives Matter protests last year over police killings of unarmed people of colour.

 

Why pro-Trump supporters were rioting?

The President of the United States, Donald Trump encouraged supporters at a rally near the White House to march to Capitol Hill, where the Senate and House were convened in a joint session to count the electoral votes to declare Biden’s victory. During his rally, Trump repeated false claims about the election and made the process of Electoral College votes as a test of loyalty to him and his substantiated claims.

Trump said to his supporters “We will never give up, we will never concede,” at the rally. He also alleged that the election has been rigged by radical democrats and the fake news media and called on weak Republicans to reverse Biden’s victory.

 

What happened to Electoral College votes?

When rioters made way into the U.S. Capitol, lawmakers were ushered out of the Senate and House chambers. The Staff members grabbed the boxes holding the Electoral College certificates. After the situation was in control, a joint session of Congress reconvened to count the electoral college votes to declare President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

 

Here are some of the tweets related to the incident.

https://twitter.com/ScienceZemen/status/1346952052828733441

 

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