Organizers repeatedly said they condemned the violence that occurred on January 6. “This is about the many people who were there that day, who have not been charged with violence … and the disparate treatment they’ve received,” Braynard said. In interviews with CNN prior to the event, Braynard insisted it would be peaceful and that “no one is going to be bringing a weapon who’s going to be part of our crowd.” Braynard had also encouraged attendees not to wear any candidate or election-related gear. The group is “dedicated to standing up for patriotic Americans who have been forgotten by our government,” according to its website. The rally was planned by “Look Ahead America,” a nonprofit led by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard, who previously promoted the “big lie” that the 2020 election was fraudulent. For the handful of nonviolent rioters who are being detained, federal judges concluded that they were too dangerous to release, saying they might participate in future political violence. Only a few dozen were ordered to stay in jail before trial, and most of them were charged with violent crimes. The vast majority of the 600-plus defendants were released shortly after their arrest. The event was billed in support of nonviolent “political prisoners” who were charged with crimes tied to the January 6 attack of the more than 600 Capitol riot defendants, only a handful are in jail, according to CNN’s analysis of court records. It started, as scheduled, at noon ET on Saturday. The “Justice for J6” rally aimed to support insurrectionists charged in the deadly January 6 Capitol riot. During the morning, dozens of police officers congregated together in different spots in the Capitol, which appeared empty except for reporters and the police officers.ĬNN spotted officers from all different jurisdictions, including from Baltimore, DC Metro and Capitol Police. Given the rally took place on a Saturday, when both chambers of Congress were on recess, far fewer lawmakers or staff were in the area. US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger told reporters Friday that the department had a “strong plan in place to ensure” the event remained “peaceful, and that if violence does occur that we can stop it as quickly as possible.” While there was little evidence going into Saturday that anything of that proportion was likely, there were concerns about extremist groups and clashes with counter-protesters. There was a massive police presence around the protest and around the Capitol, with law enforcement taking extraordinary steps to make sure there wasn’t a repeat of the January 6 insurrection. Organizers had received a permit for 700 people and claimed some of their supporters didn’t show up because they were afraid. Capitol Police said about 400 to 500 people were in the protest area, including journalists. Police in riot gear also stepped in at one point to separate rallygoers from counter-protesters, and they were separated without incident, according to USCP.īut overall, the event was peaceful. The charges ranged from a probation violation to weapons-related charges. US Capitol Police tweeted that there were a total of four arrests Saturday. It ultimately took place with a crowd of a few hundred and without any major security incidents. The September 18 right-wing rally in Washington, DC, had brought a new wave of concern about more potential violence on Capitol Hill as law enforcement prepared for a variety of scenarios.
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