Twitter has temporarily suspended Trumps account as his radical supporters he egged on launched an assault on the government buildings.
They came for a war. After Donald Trump lost the US general election, he spent parts of the election and weeks after urging his supporters not to accept the will of the American people. After weeks of whipping up his supporters, Trump ominously called for a “Save America” rally on January 6. The radical right wing terrorists showed up armed and ready. Trump further egged on his supports and they marched over to the Capitol buildings.
From there, the violent extremists stormed the government buildings, smashed in a window, and breached the building. In the process of making their intent known that they wish to overthrow America’s democracy, one woman was shot and killed in the process. The Senate chambers were locked down as security barricaded the doors and pointed pistols at the doors. Meanwhile, Senate officials were rushed away by security as the terrorist attack continued.
After multiple hours of looting and vandalism of the democratic institution, various members of different security detail were finally able to clear out the buildings, effectively ending the surreal insurrection.
Meanwhile, on Twitter and Facebook, Trump re-iterated that the election was stolen, then half-heartedly said that the violence should end. In response, Twitter blocked Trumps account for 12 hours in an effort to try and prevent further violence being inflicted on America. From the BBC:
In a series of tweets he told the protesters “I love you” before telling them to go home. He also repeated false claims about election fraud.
Twitter said it required the removal of three tweets for “severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy”.
The company said the president’s account would remain locked for good if the tweets were not removed.
It went on to say that “Future violations of the Twitter Rules… will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account”.
Other reports surfacing suggest that Facebook and Instagram have also suspended Trumps account. In addition, a video was also removed to prevent the spread of the violence. From Global:
Facebook also took action against the video, removing it from their platform in its entirety.
“This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump’s video,” wrote Facebook’s Vice-President of Integrity, Guy Rosen, on Twitter.
“We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence.”
The attempted overthrow did not stop the Senate proceeding, however. The US Senate is set to continue the certification of Joe Biden’s win. From AJC:
Both the House and Senate have reconvened hours after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday and forced Congress to evacuate the building. Speaking from the Senate floor, Vice President Mike Pence said the Capitol is secure.
“Today, a shameful assault was made on our democracy. It was anointed at the highest level of government,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote to her members in a note telling them the Senate would reconvene at 8 p.m., Politico reported. “It cannot, however, deter us from our responsibility to validate the election of Joe Biden.”
Vice President Mike Pence spoke from the Senate floor at lawmakers reconvened.
“Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift efforts of U.S. Capitol Police, federal, state, and local law enforcement, the violence was quelled,” he said. “The Capitol is secured, and the people’s work continues. We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms. We grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls, as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our Capitol today. And we will always be grateful to the men and women who stayed at their posts to defend this historic place.
The violent overthrow attempt wasn’t confined to Washington, however. Georgia also saw a tense situation as well as armed malitia’s surrounded the Capitol buildings. From The Independent:
Militia members gathered around the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, as Pro-Trump rioters in DC attempted to take matters into their own hands and prevent Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college win by storming the US Capitol.
Capitol Police escorted Georgia’s secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and his staff out of the building, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Supporters of Donald Trump attempted to enter the building to deliver “written grievances” about Mr Trump’s November loss.
Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs said: “We heard reports of threats and left immediately.”
Mr Fuchs told ABC News that the people gathering at the parking deck at the Capitol were members of a militia.
This followed a small “Stop the steal” protest, with some participants carrying assault-style weapons.
What isn’t clear is if this is a one day thing or if the extremists intend on continuing to launch attacks on America. What is clear is that Washington is now under a curfew to try and restore the order that was violently ripped away. While the democratic wheels continue turning, they are currently turning in a very tense and unstable environment.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
