Andre Carson is a Democratic representative from Indiana and he was in Congress during the Jan.6, 2021 assault a year ago. Asked by RTBF correspondent Sonia Dridi, he tells how he lived that day, when he was barricaded in his office : “I was alone because we were in the middle of Covid. An officer told me to go to my office and close the door because people were in the corridors, he told me that the Capitol police had no not the ability to repel the threat. Insurgents wandered the halls, I could hear them, saw them through my window. I stayed in my office for 8-10 hours. During that time I communicated with my family , my relatives made sure that I was well. I also spoke to my team and to other elected officials who were in a group message on Whatsapp, they were also held in offices. I was really in alert. I was ready to intervene if the insurgents tried to enter the office. I was alone and my office is isolated, which surely protected me a bit more strategically. But I was really worried. “
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André Carson felt particularly targeted that day, because he is one of the few members of the House of Representatives of the Muslim faith. An armed man who was arrested near the Capitol that day later confirmed that he wanted to kill him: “There was my name on a list of people to kill. He wanted to target me directly, as an elected official but also as a Muslim. He also recently pleaded guilty. This man was not a protester but a terrorist”.
The elected Democrat continues: “You have to be honest about people’s intentions. There are still elected officials, colleagues, collaborators or even police officers, who are still recovering from what happened on January 6. They are still recovering from what happened on January 6. are still traumatized by this attack on our Capitol. While other elected officials have tried to generate sympathy for the insurgents now in prison, as if they were victims. I wish people would remember that was not a demonstration that escalated. It was a deadly terrorist attack orchestrated in part by a ruling president and members of Congress. “
►►► Read also : Un year later, is the Capitol ready to face another attack?
A year later, many people want to deny the gravity of the assault, according to Andre Carson: “I think we are witnessing a massive far-right disinformation and propaganda campaign to erase memories on January 6. This is all to give Donald Trump a cover and everyone else. the elected officials and the powerful people who took part in the insurrection “.
This situation worries him: “I think the insurgency has shattered trust between members of Congress. It is now clear that some of my colleagues do not think that every vote counts or that a loser in an election has to accept the result. It is disturbing . This is why it is very important that people stay engaged in our democracy. If we fall asleep at the wheel, it becomes easier for the anti-democratic forces to gain ground. “
“But I think we showed our resilience when we returned to work the day after the attack to certify the election. But many members of Congress and collaborators are still in shock, especially since there has been dead. They are still recovering from the shock. It was very traumatic to be in a place where we should feel safe, where there was a strong police presence and to see a president leading insurgents to attack the United States Capitol. It’s criminal, ” he said.
A glimmer of hope
A committee is charged with investigating the events of the Capitol, it has already interviewed more than 300 witnesses and collected more than 35,000 pages of documents: “I think this committee is really a beacon of hope because people are starting to receive information. But the division between the parties is still very important. My hope is that we can return to the time when we could have robust debates in Congress but that elected officials of all stripes would then have drinks together! I think there is progress, but party leaders need to work on legislative projects that bring us together.
“My hope is that the Republican Party will be more courageous in examining whoever wishes to become the Commander-in-Chief of our Nation”, he concludes.
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