Capitol rally live Justice for J6 rally sees small turnout heavy police presence

Nancy Pelosi condemns upcoming ‘Justice for J6’ rally

Washington, DC is hunkered down in advance of a protest on behalf of people arrested for their alleged part in the US Capitol insurrection at the start of this year. The “Justice for J6” rally, organised by a onetime Trump campaign staffer, is ostensibly a protest against the “persecution” of the 600-plus people who have been taken into custody. It is seen by some as part of a broader right-wing attempt to rewrite the narrative of the attack on the Capitol as a mostly peaceful incident, with the participants reframed as simply naive citizens earnestly concerned about the 2020 election.

However, there are concerns that the protest could attract extremist groups with other, more nefarious grievances â€" including some of the violent actors who joined the insurrection itself. That said, experts in extremism have reported that organisations such as the Proud Boys are telling their members to stay away from the protest. The organisers insist it will be a peaceful event â€" but the US Capitol Police are taking no chances.

Follow live updates on the event below.

Show latest update 1631991905Organiser clashes with MSNBC anchor over 6 January characterisation

Matthew Braynard argued with MSNBC’s Yasmin Vossoughian on Saturday regarding whether pro-Trump rioters had “stormed” the Capitol on the day of 6 January, claiming that police had instead ushered the mob inside by holding the doors of the Capitol open.

“So these are people who unlawfully stormed the Capitol," Ms Vossoughian said, before Mr Braynard interjected.

"Storming is a characterisation, that's your characterisation, it’s not mine," he said, before adding that "In many cases they walked through a door held open by a Capitol police officer."

Videos uncovered by the New York Post and other news outlets have shown officers directing rioters out of the building on the day of 6 January by holding the doors open for them to leave after much of the violence had died down, but Capitol Police have maintained since the day of the attack that they only abandoned positions after heavily outnumbered officers became overwhelmed and threatened with or experiencing violence.

John Bowden18 September 2021 20:051631989680Democrats hammer GOP for celebration of ‘cop-killers'

Democratic lawmakers took to Twitter on Saturday to condemn the Justice for J6 rally as well as their Republican counterparts who in many cases spread some of the same conspiracy theories about the 2020 election that drove those at the Capitol on 6 January.

Rep Hakeem Jeffries, a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and chair of the House Democratic Caucus, noted that no members of House GOP leadership had condemned the rally’s participants: “Today’s hateful rally on Capitol Hill is a celebration of cop killers and domestic terrorists,” he added.

Today’s hateful rally on Capitol Hill is a celebration of cop killers and domestic terrorists.

Not a single House Republican leader has denounced it.

â€" Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) September 18, 2021

Rep Eric Swalwell, a congressman on the Intelligence and Homeland Security panels, contended that the rallies had the blessing of GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Blessed by @GOPLeader McCarthy, Radical Republicans are celebrating cop killers & terrorists at the US Capitol. McCarthy condones this as many injured Jan. 6 officers have not yet returned to work. This is like holding a 9/11 vigil…for the hijackers. Nice work, Kevin.

â€" Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) September 18, 2021 John Bowden18 September 2021 19:281631986718Rally concludes less than two hours after beginning

Saturday’s rally on the grounds of the Capitol ended with little fanfare and none of the violence feared by law enforcement and residents of DC ahead of the event, likely due in no small part to the small crowd size and overwhelming police presence.

Videos showed rallygoers walking calmly out of the Union Square venue as counterprotesters blared the YG & Nipsey Hussle hit, “FDT (F*ck Donald Trump).

John Bowden18 September 2021 18:381631986462Rally speaker reads note comparing treatment of rioters to Holocaust victims

As the rally progressed on Saturday in front of a small audience of supporters and a larger group of assembled media, one female speaker read a note claiming to have been authored by the mother of a defendent currently awaiting trial for their actions on 6 January.

The note’s most shocking line indefensibly likened the treatment of accused rioters to victims of the Holocaust, which the author justified by claiming that the accused persons did not have access to shaving equipment or haircuts.

“This reminds me of how the Jewish people were treated by the Nazis,” the female speaker said, reading from the note.

The woman identified herself as “Kelly” and as the girlfriend of Jonathan Mellis, a man accused of attacking Capitol Police officers with a stick or other blunt weapon of some kind during the 6 January attack.

"This reminds me of how the Jewish people were treated by the Nazis."â€" Kelly, girlfriend of Jon Mellis (who attacked officers with a stick during Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection) reads letter from mother of another jailed insurrectionist. Full #JusticeforJ6 stream via @FordFischer pic.twitter.com/e2OrMv12Ni

â€" Jenn Dize ðŸ'©ðŸ»â€ðŸ'»StatusCoup.pub/FlintWaterCoverUp (@JennElizabethJ) September 18, 2021 John Bowden18 September 2021 18:341631985934Former Trump DHS official: GOP looks like ‘Tinder for terrorists'

Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff to ex-Homeland Security chief John Kelly and author of the “Anonymous” op-ed that set Washington’s political sphere on fire in 2018, unloaded on the GOP, of which he remains a member, during an MSNBC interview as the Justice for J6 rally began.

In the interview, he said that he never thought he would see such widespread support for what he called “terrorists” who stormed the Capitol among his own party.

“Today, I think we look more like a Tinder for terrorists where radicals around the country can swipe right and match with an extremist politician who amplifies their views and then when they get into trouble and commit crime, tries to bail them out from prison,” Mr Taylor said. “So if you ask me right now we look a little bit less like the party of Lincoln and more like a Tinder for terrorists.”

“Let me be clear, these are not political prisoners,” he added of the jailed 6 January defendents. “These are criminals.”

John Bowden18 September 2021 18:251631985268Attendees chant names of two rioters slain during Capitol attack

One of the speakers at Saturday’s rally led rally attendees in a chant of the names of two women killed during January’s assault on the Capitol.

The small crowd, along with the female speaker, chanted the names of Ashli Babbitt, who is thought to have been shot by a police officer and killed while inside the building attempting to breach the House chambers, and Roseanne Boyland, who was trampled outside of the building as chaos ensued while hundreds of protesters attacked Capitol Police barricades.

John Bowden18 September 2021 18:141631985048Far fewer than expected in attendance at Capitol

While the rally has officially begun, crowds are much smaller than had been anticipated. Around 700 people were expected to attend the event, but so far no more than 200 protesters have shown up. Scores of media and security personnel are on site too.

Helen.Elfer18 September 2021 18:101631983549

A rally attendee, Andres Bruce, told The Independent that the rally was in support of those who are accused of “non-violent” offenses on 6 January, including trespassing and entering the Capitol grounds unlawfully.

“If you committed a violent act, that’s a crime and that can’t be defended,” he said. “But, most of the ones, it’s trespassing, and you know, going into a controlled area, and other charges that aren’t violent in nature.”

“I think most of the people who came that day had no intention of disrupting an official proceeding,” Mr Bruce argued.

John Bowden18 September 2021 17:451631981204Organizers seen enforcing anti-political message rule among attendees

Look Ahead America’s executive director Matt Braynard, one of the Justice for J6 rally’s organizers, was seen milling among the small crowd of protesters and directing an individual to take down a flag in support of former President Donald Trump.

Rally invitations stressed that the event was meant to be non-political in nature and urged attendees not to bring flags, signs, or clothing in support of either Mr Trump or President Joe Biden.

Mr Braynard walked a significant distance flanked by security to direct the man to take his flag down, suggesting that organisers are being vigilant in enforcing the rule.

“Do not wear or bring political, candidate, or another organization’s paraphernalia. This includes clothing or banners supportive of President Trump or President Biden,” reads the group’s website.

John Bowden18 September 2021 17:061631980113Rally attendees outnumbered by law enforcement, media minutes before start

Moments before Saturday’s rally was set to begin, the Union Square area and surrounding blocks were swarmed with members of law enforcement, members of the media, and just over a hundred protesters in the area where the event was set to take place.

The lack of attendees suggests that most supporters of the 6 January attack on the Capitol heeded warnings on right wing sites including some Qanon conspiracy blogs suggesting that the event would either intentionally lead to the jailing of attendees or result in that occurring if violence broke out.

A number of counterprotesters were also in attendance, including one individual with a sign urging the House’s select commission on the Capitol attack to investigate a Pennsylvania state senator, Doug Mastriano, who is accused of spending thousands of dollars to bus attendees to the rally outside the White House (and subsequent mobbing of the Capitol) on 6 January.

A man from Doug Mastriano’s district is here calling on the Jan 6th commission to include his State Senator who was at the Capitol that day. pic.twitter.com/APfmJIfGve

â€" Zach D Roberts - A Poorly Organized Depression (@zdroberts) September 18, 2021 John Bowden18 September 2021 16:48

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