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In front of the United States Capitol, where the occupation and invasion incident occurred, I cannot forget the figure of a woman holding back tears as she listened to people sing American songs.
When I asked her, “Why are you crying?” The woman shook her voice and said, “I’m getting angry and having all kinds of thoughts. Why did this happen? Inside the Capitol? So something unimaginable is happening here.” .
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There was also a “Hinomaru” on the Capitol occupied by Trump supporters (photographed by the author on January 6, 2021).
Supporters heading to the Capitol before the president’s call
On January 6, 2021, a large rally by Trump supporters took place in the capital Washington to protest the “injustice” of the US presidential elections and a march to the Capitol. He entered Washington on the 5th and performed with them.
Continuing with the article “That Capitol Occupation Case Happened After a Soft March” published on January 9, and “Supporters Speaking to the Capitol Saying ‘Fight for This Country'” published on January 10. It is not focused on the inside of the Capitol, which is not widely reported in Japan, but on the premises.
The large-scale demonstration was held at a location in a plaza near the Washington Memorial Tower. President Trump mentioned the march to the Capitol several times at the end of his speech, but many had already started walking to the Capitol, which was about a 20-minute walk away, before he said.
One of them, Chris (69), was unemployed, but alone, changed trains and buses and traveled from California to America for two days.
“Trump didn’t push us to march at the rally. It was planned for some time. It was windy, cold, and shaky, and I didn’t come to hear Trump’s story. State by state. He wanted to demand that we steal our vote by marching to the Capitol. , which was about to find the result of the Electors vote. “
As he climbed high and took pictures, many marching people looked up and greeted with smiles.
“Something unimaginable is happening inside the Capitol.”
By the time I got to the Capitol, Trump supporters had already occupied the exterior of the Capitol building and the grounds were full of supporters. “TRUMP 2020” and the great flags of the Stars and Stripes fly here and there.
“We the people!”, “United States!” And so on, they all sang “Stars and Stripes, Forever” and “Amazing Grace,” and when they finished singing, cheers and noises rang out. .. The voice was strong but the atmosphere was peaceful, and I was shooting with a smile while holding my mobile phone.
A white woman in her twenties says, “I’m so happy to be here with everyone. It’s an amazing experience,” she said joyfully. A man dressed in a Revolutionary War-era costume walks with a drum.
Most of the people wore the usual outfits of wool caps, parkers, jeans and thick jackets, but some were helmets, bulletproof clothing and members of the fully armed organization “Miricia”.
One of them was a former Army soldier in North Carolina who told me, “I am ready to fight to take back my country.”
Finally, information came through that “some of the supporters have invaded the Capitol, causing confusion with the police.” Due to the large number of people, mobile phones cannot be connected and it is not possible to check what is happening inside on SNS.
The woman in front of me is holding back tears as I listen to people singing American songs in good spirits. When I asked her, “Why are you crying?”, The woman shook her voice and said, “I’m getting angry and have all kinds of thoughts. I’m proud to be here. But I saw what was inside the building. Why did it happen? this? I had to do this to hear our voice. Inside the Capitol. There’s something I can’t imagine here, “he yelled.
More and more people suffer from tears that hurt their eyes, those who wear bloody bandages on their heads and those who are carried out lying down. Suddenly, the tension of being at the front of the battlefield spread.
A man who came out of the building said: “We are losing in numbers. Gunman, come in!” A normal-looking woman in her twenties tried to climb up, so the man stopped, but she ran off saying, “I’ll fight too!”
The truth is unknown if “Antifa” was mixed in
Finally, when we were outside, we were suffocated by the tears shot by the police, and we heard shouts from all over the place, “Get out of the building!” And “Get your children and women off the premises first!” There was also information that “state soldiers come to repress him.”
Every now and then, my cell phone seems to be connected and messages from friends and acquaintances living in New York and California appear intermittently on the screen.
An emergency warning was repeatedly displayed on the screen that read: “Mayor Muriel Bauser of Washington prohibited leaving from 6 pm to 6 am on the 7th.”
The sound of a grenade can be heard from inside the Capitol, and the flash of light illuminates the Capitol brightly and violently.
Those who entered the Capitol grounds are some of the supporters who marched since the large protest rally. Only a small number of supporters who entered the premises further invaded the interior.
Later, the fans around him yelled “Antifa!” And “Antifa!” The person who tried to break the glass, and a man in a red hat who supported Trump restrained him. I saw it on the video.
It is reported as “fake news” that members of the left-wing movement organization “Antifa” are violently criticizing President Trump and protesting against racial discrimination, etc. There is also information that may become clear in the future.
“What did we get from doing that?”
Chris, who arrived by train and bus from California, mentioned above, marched to the Capitol. However, he learned that there were people who broke into the building and left the place. Then he called to those who came to the Capitol later: “Do not enter the building.”
“The media blames Trump for this incident. We are responsible adults. We act on our own initiative. It’s strange to blame Trump. Don’t break the law. Do that. So what did we get?” Trump supporters are beasts, “they wrote the media, and they were being looked down on more and more, and that’s what happened. “
Trump supporters firmly believe that there was “injustice” in the presidential election.
Amanda from Alabama, whom I met at the rally on January 5, mentioned in the previous article, said: “If Byden is elected president in a fair election, I respect him and of course I support him as my president. But he was the President Trump who won. Despite all the evidence of fraud, the media and the judiciary are working together to drag Trump away. Why can’t we see the truth? “
An old man on the Capitol grounds tweeted at me.
“I have been accusing fraud all the time. I have taken legal action, but all the roads have been closed.”
What the hell did they want to do in Washington? No matter how much you scream locally about the injustice of the presidential election, you will not reach the capital, Washington. We had no choice but to meet at the Capitol to convey our thoughts directly to the members of the Diet and ask for a number to appeal to everyone.
That “pure thinking”, however, has been counterproductive, rather than reaching national affairs, due to some radical behavior.
(Posted anytime)
++ Profile of Mitsuyo Okada
Okada / Mitsuyo Writer / Essayist
Born in Tokyo. He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University and earned a master’s degree from New York University. After working as a local newspaper reporter for a major Japanese newspaper, he travels back and forth between Japan and the United States, describing the daily life and pains of American citizens. He has also lived in the western part of the United States. Bunharu Bunko’s essay series “The Magic of New York” has a cumulative total of 400,000 copies since the first in 2007. The series is completed by the ninth series “The Magic of New York Never Ends” published on May 9, 2019. Other books include “American Family” and “New York Japanese Education Circumstances” (both by Iwanami Shinsho).
