The world watched in horror earlier today as hundreds pro-Trump rioters — many of whom were armed — stormed the Capitol building in Washington, DC, and clashed with law enforcement officials.
According to Business Insider, Nooses and other blatantly racist paraphernalia were spotted amongst the lawlessness and chaos that blanketed D.C. after throngs of pro-Trump rioters attacked the federal building.
Getty Images posted a photograph of a noose erected not far from the Capitol building on a makeshift platform. Other images and video showed the rioters carrying confederate flags alongside “Make America Great Again” hats and banners.
In what can only be described as a show of domestic terrorism, the army of angry Trump supporters marched to the Capitol where members of Congress were attending a joint session to count the Electoral College votes and certify Joe Biden’s victory. The rioters, some of whom were armed with an assortment of weapons and zip ties, breached the building in an effort to stage a coup and physically intimidate lawmakers.
The building was eventually evacuated, and many lawmakers, including Trump’s own VP Mike Pence, were rushed to safety. In a chaotic scene, the air was pierced with tear gas shots and flashbangs, as violence erupted that left one woman dead from a shot in the chest.
Media coverage from the tense melee showed violent confrontations between armed protesters and Capitol police, both inside the building and outside on the grounds.
At a protest near the Washington Monument, a demonstrator held up a makeshift mannequin wearing a noose with “Traitor” written across the front.
Trump, who has continued to double down on unfounded claims of voter fraud over and over again, released a video earlier, which half-heartedly urged his base to go home, telling them, “We have to go home now. We have to have peace.” But ended his message with, “We love you. You’re very special.”
