Amid high security, small pro-Trump crowd rallies at U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Reuters) – Police and the media were at a sparsely-attended rally on Saturday by supporters of the people who broke into the building on Jan. 6 in an attempt to overturn former President Donald Trump’s electoral defeat, the protesters far superior in the US Capitol.

Around 100 to 200 demonstrators came, some carried the flags of the right-wing extremist group Three Percenters over their shoulders. It was far fewer than the organizers had anticipated with 700 people and the thousands who wreaked havoc on the Capitol on January 6th.

Hundreds of officials patrolled the Capitol grounds and a black 6-foot fence that surrounded the white-dome building for about six months after the attack was reinstalled, adding to the unease over a possible Aug. January reflects National Guard troops were on standby.

As part of an effort by some far-right supporters of Trump to rewrite the story of the deadly mob attack on the Capitol, which was captured on graphic video, Spokesman after Spokesman insisted that hundreds of rioters came out that day for their actions were arrested on the grounds that “political prisoners” were “who did not commit violence.

Prosecutors and legal experts say the cases are being handled properly.

“This is about justice and differential treatment,” said Matt Braynard, a rally organizer and supporter of Trump’s false claims that his defeat was the result of widespread fraud.

While the rush was small, the passion increased at times, and screaming fights broke out sporadically between participants in the rally and counter-demonstrators. The police on bicycles moved forward to resolve some of these arguments.

Capitol Police reported four arrests, including a man armed with a pistol who was spotted in the crowd, although they said it was “not clear why the man was at the demonstration”. Officers in riot gear also removed a man from the rally with a large knife strapped around his waist.

Justice for J6 organizers called for a peaceful event, but US Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger told reporters Friday that there had been threats of violence related to the rally, some of which were appealing individual members of Congress were targeting, and the police were armed to prevent clashes between Trump supporters and opponents.

Tony Smith, 40, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, said he had come to express his support for a fair trial for those accused of breaking the Capitol.

“If we don’t honor this, we won’t honor America,” said Smith, holding a billboard that read, “We want Trump!” held in hand.

HUNDREDS IN JAN. 6 UPRISING

A sign is held during a rally in support of the defendants prosecuted in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, the United States, Sept. 18, 2021. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst

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More than 600 people were charged with participating in the January 6 violence that followed Trump’s speech at a nearby rally in which he reiterated false claims that his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud. These claims have been rejected by multiple courts, state election officials, and members of Trump’s own administration.

Rioters fought the police that day, beating them with sticks and metal barricades, hitting the Capitol through windows and running through the halls, sending the legislature and then Vice President Mike Pence to safety.

Four people died on January 6th, one was fatally shot by police and three in medical emergencies. A Capitol policeman who was attacked by protesters died a day later, and four policemen who helped defend the Capitol later committed suicide.

Almost 50 people have so far pleaded guilty to the violence-related charges, nine of whom admitted having committed crimes. The vast majority of the defendants were released pending trial, but court documents indicate that around 75 are still in custody.

Members of the right-wing extremist groups Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters are also charged.

“Let them go, let them go,” the crowd chanted occasionally during the rally, which lasted a little over an hour.

But Eric Lamar, 64, a retired Washington, DC firefighter, said he came to the Capitol to counter “false stories” from Trump supporters about Jan. 6.

“It breaks my heart,” Lamar said after hearing from another retired firefighter that the riot was a “false flag,” a conspiracy theory that falsely claimed the event was staged. “There is no question that what happened on January 6th is the work of supporters of Donald Trump who wrongly and without evidence decided that the election was stolen.”

According to a Thursday interview with conservative news website Federalist, Trump called Saturday’s rally a “setup” and said the media would use it as an excuse to beat Republicans regardless of their outcome.

Unlike on January 6, when Congress met to confirm Biden’s election, the Capitol was largely empty on Saturday, with most members out of town.

No Congressmen attended Saturday’s rally, despite two Republican congressional candidates reaching out to the group.

The authorities, who had made it clear that they were much better prepared after being caught in January without sufficient strength for a rapid deployment, took no chances.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin put 100 National Guard soldiers on standby Saturday to assist the police if necessary.

From the beginning of January to the end of May, National Guard troops were stationed in and around the Capitol; at the height of the mission, up to 5,200 soldiers were deployed.

Reporting by Jan Wolfe and David Morgan; Additional coverage from Gabriella Borter, Jim Bourg, Mark Hosenball and Merdie Nzanga; Letter from Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, Daniel Wallis and Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.