The rioters appeared to be civilians operating of their own volition, not state actors. Jan 07, 2021 · 11:42 am Congress staffer holds his hands up while Capitol Police Swat team check everyone in the room as they secure the floor of Trump suporters in Washington, DC on January 6. | Olivier Douliery / AFP
Did the United States just have a coup attempt?
Supporters of President Donald Trump, following his encouragement, stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Waving Trump banners, hundreds of people broke through barricades and smashed windows to enter the building where Congress convenes. One rioter died and several police officers were hospitalised in the clash. Congress went on lockdown.
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Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, via Getty Images, The Conversation)
Did the United States just have a coup attempt?
Supporters of President Donald Trump, following his encouragement, stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Waving Trump banners, hundreds of people broke through barricades and smashed windows to enter the building where Congress convenes. One rioter died and several police officers were hospitalized in the clash. Congress went on lockdown.
While violent and shocking, what happened on Jan. 6 wasn’t a coup.
Did the United States just have a coup attempt?
Supporters of President Donald Trump, following his encouragement, stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Waving Trump banners, hundreds of people broke through barricades and smashed windows to enter the building where Congress convenes. One rioter and one police officer died in the clash and several other police officers were hospitalized. Congress went on lockdown.
While violent and shocking, what happened on Jan. 6 wasn’t a coup.
This Trumpist insurrection was election violence, much like the election violence that plagues many fragile democracies.