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Law enforcement claim surprise -

Law enforcement agencies claimed they had no intelligence that suggested there was a risk of protestors storming the Capitol. Journalists and researchers beg to differ.

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Planning in plain sight -

Many journalists that follow the far-right movement online say there was ample warning that certain extremist groups were planning some form of insurrection. In fact, they were planning it out in the open on social media.

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Republican leaders ramping up -

In addition to this, many say the language and calls to action from Republican thought leaders were becoming increasingly extreme and violent.

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A combination of ideologies - Many different groups with varying beliefs and motivations were united in their desire to overthrow the elected government, which they believed to be illegitimate.

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Groups involved in riots -

On the day of the riots there were numerous groups involved: MAGA supporters, QAnon supporters, Christian Dominionists, Proud Boys, and various white supremacist groups.

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Claims of voter fraud -

Since the Republican loss in the November 2021 presidential elections, the Trump administration began to claim that the election had been stolen from them. They claimed that voter fraud had tipped the vote in Joe Biden’s favor and that the voting machines used had been rigged against Trump.

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Stop the Steal -

A Facebook group called Stop the Steal was created right after the election and quickly gained hundreds of thousands of followers. Stop the Steal protests started popping up in numerous state capitals.

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Steve Bannon - Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist under Trump, was going live on his podcast called ‘War Room’ several times a day in the run-up to the riots. He was still claiming that Trump was close to victory and urged supporters to prepare for attack.

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Steve Bannon -

Bannon stated that if he were in Trump's position, he would have put the severed heads of the FBI director and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on spikes at either side of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. These comments got him banned from Twitter and YouTube.

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Increasingly provocative language -

Tucker Carlson made a comment on his show that Americans had “allowed BLM protesters to destroy our country in the name of George Floyd.” Rush Limbaugh (pictured) said that “there cannot be a peaceful co-existence of two completely different theories of life, theories of government.”

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Increasingly provocative language -

Another Republican commentator said, “What can you and I do to a state legislator? Besides kill them.” He backtracked by saying, “I’m not advising that, but I mean, what else can you do, right?”

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It's now or never -

It's alleged that these increasingly extreme statements by influential Republicans bombarded the public with messages that the political situation was coming to a boiling point and serious action was needed.

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Social media engagement - This kind of language was apparently taken quite literally online and plenty of Facebook and forum posts by upset Trump supporters mirrored these ideas. One user said, “This must be a joint organized effort...I say take the hill, or die trying.” Many other posts mimicked the sentiment that they were going to war.

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Growing outrage -

The outrage and violent language continued to amp up as the election was lost and the end of Trump’s presidency loomed nearer. The Trump administration continued their claims that the election was stolen from them, and many Republican news outlets helped to disseminate their theories.

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Take it to Washington -

It's alleged that there was a growing sentiment that violence was necessary to protect the constitution and prevent “the steal.” Trump continuously urged his followers on Twitter to take their grievances to the streets of Washington.

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Planned occupation -

Stop the Steal leaders had been discussing an occupation of the area around the Capitol for weeks, and thousands of social media posts and comments suggested that a huge number of supporters were ready to take violent action.

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Popular online forum encouraging attack -

The website MyMilitia.com urged their followers to resort to violence if the senators at the Capitol made Joe Biden’s victory official on January 6. Their forums were filled with users stating the need to activate their “Second Amendment duty to defeat tyranny and save the republic.”

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It wasn't the first time -

The storming of the United States Capitol on January 6 was not the first example of far-right protesters making a move on a Capitol building.

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Attack on Oregon Capitol -

A couple of weeks earlier, on December 21, armed far-right protesters attempted to take over the Oregon Capitol building. Inside, lawmakers were passing four bills that would ensure financial relief for those affected by the pandemic and recent wildfires.

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Attack on Oregon Capitol -

The protesters were opposed to coronavirus restrictions and banged on the windows demanding the arrest of Kate Brown, the governor who had extended the restrictions. They used chemical agents and bear spray on the police officers defending the building and attempted to smash the windows.

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Portland protesters clash -

As mentioned, acts of politically charged violence and unrest were not new. As far back as August 2020, protesters clashed on the streets of Oregon. A combination of Trump supporters, QAnon supporters, and Proud Boys came out to show their support for Trump and call for an end to the Black Lives Matter protests.

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Portland protesters clash -

They clashed with anti-fascist protesters, and it broke out into a brawl with the far-right protesters using pepper spray and baseball bats on their opponents. Portland police did not intervene until the crowd had mostly cleared. One journalist reported having his hand broken by a member of the Proud Boys and said the police were completely absent during the riot.

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White supremacists -

Government security agencies have been keeping an eye on far-right groups for a long time. A report from the Department of Homeland Security that surfaced in September 2020 identified white supremacists as the greatest threat to national security.

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Capitol police -

With all of this in mind, many Americans are struggling to understand why the Capitol police were so unprepared. Although they may not have identified plans to storm the building, the chances of civil unrest were clearly high.

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Comparing the Capitol response to BLM protests -

During Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, the National Guard, the Secret Service and the U.S. Park Police were called in to disperse a non-violent crowd using tear gas and rubber bullets. The response is a stark contrast to that seen on January 6.

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The day of the riots -

The morning of the riots, a ‘Save America’ rally was held near the Capitol building. During the rally, Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s attorney and spokesperson, called for "trial by combat.” He later claimed that he had been quoting the popular TV show ‘Game of Thrones’ and was not inciting violence.

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'Save America' Rally -

At the same rally, both Trump and Giuliani repeated their claims that the election results were false and the presidency was being stolen. Trump urged the attendees to march on the Capitol building where congress was in session. He said, “We won this election, and we won it by a landslide.”

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Call to action -

"You'll never take back our country with weakness," Trump told the crowd. "You have to show strength, and you have to be strong." Trump spoke to the thousands of attendees of the rally for 70 minutes. An hour later, the attack on the Capitol building began.

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Storming of the Capitol -

“If you don't fight like hell you're not going to have a country anymore.” This quote was the main one used in the charge sheet for Trump’s second impeachment. Regardless of the intentions of those involved, it seems that the collective impact of these statements helped to goad certain extreme members of the public into action.

Sources: (Vox) (ProPublica) (Independent) (BBC) (Business Insider)

See also: Historic statues torn down or defaced in protest

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