Trumpo’s followers entered the Capitol with violence. Photo: JIM LO SCALZO / EFE
In the wake of Wednesday’s violent riots on Capitol Hill, extremist Trump supporters are emboldened and vow to return to Washington DC for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, the 20 of January, organizing and joining in online platforms.
“Many of Us will return on 19 of January of 2021, bearing Our weapons, in support of the determination of Our nation, that the world will never forget! We will go in numbers that no army or police agency can match, ”wrote a popular user of Parler, the new right-wing social network, which frequently posts messages about theories. conspiracy report of QAnon and is being tracked by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Parler, some channels of the Telegram messaging application and the TheDonald.win platform were used to plan and coordinate the January 6 demonstration, which turned into a violent mob . The broadcast messages explicitly stated the intention to “occupy” the Capitol. Followers of QAnon’s conspiracy theories and people associated with militias had a visible presence in the crowd on Wednesday.
“Second round on 20 from January. This time without mercy. I don’t even care about keeping Trump in power. I care about war, “posted an anonymous person on TheDonald.win platform, which is full of comments posted by people who praised Wednesday’s rioters as” heroes “.
Police are working to identify those who broke into the Capitol building and are worried that Biden’s inauguration day becomes a new target. “There is more and more concern that violent extremists are emboldened by the rape of the Capitol, meaning that time is ticking to end the most influential incitements to violence sooner to act again, ”said Frank Figliuzzi, former assistant director of the FBI and national security analyst to NBC News, Telemundo’s sister network.
Federal and local law enforcement agencies have made dozens of arrests so far in connection with the assault on the Capitol on Wednesday and for violations of the curfew that followed.
The Secret Service, which is responsible for security public on the day of Biden’s inauguration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, redirected NBC News, Telemundo’s sister network, to the Secret Service.
According to the National Park Service, which handles permits for rallies in DC, there are seven First Amendment permit applications in process as of that date , one of which is clearly for Trump supporters.
Megan Squire, a computer science professor at Elon University and a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremism online, says it is concerned that since Trump will likely not be in office , the extremists will focus on Biden.
“On January 6, their energies were focused in Congress. The day 20 They will focus on Biden. That’s troubling, especially since they don’t feel remorse or shame. Right now the situation is not looking very good, ”he said.
Barricades are erected behind a new fence around the Capitol after Wednesday’s assault. / Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS / EFE Squire has been collecting notices up to 10 planned concentrations for the 17 of January organized by members of the far-right militia movement calling themselves “Boogaloo boys”. This movement became known last year, when it appeared in demonstrations demanding the protection of the rights granted by the Second Amendment. The group has been on the radar of law enforcement for anti-government activity.
Among the greatest concerns is the finding of ardor expressed online by followers of theories called accelerationists, considered among the most violent and radical of the white supremacist movement, since they support the idea that a race war is imminent.
“Overall, the power of the system took a big hit yesterday,” wrote one person in a Telegram channel populated by accelerationists. “[Los aceleracionistas] They are delighted and talking about how to exploit claims. They’re in these Telegram groups completely fired up about it, ”Squire said.
The fact that a new president takes office, according to the president of The ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, does not mean that pro-Trump extremists will take a back seat. “The Narrative conspiratorial and baseless of a stolen election will continue to encourage the extremists for some time, “added the researcher.