On December 19, a Beverly Hills hairdresser responded to a tweet from Donald Trump that called his millions of subscribers to a “big protest” in Washington on January 6. “Come on, it’s going to be crazy!” He added.
“We will be there”, promised Gina Bisignano.
At the same time, two leaders of the ultra-nationalist group Proud Boys were making plans for January 6.
From his home in Washington state (northwest), Ethan Nordean appealed for funds to purchase protective and communications equipment, while in Florida, Enrique Tarrio in a podcast called on his supporters to wear black. , telling them to prepare for battle.
“It’s serious,” Tarrio said. “We are at war”.
At the opening of the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, the depositions and testimony gathered by the American justice system show that the assault had been premeditated.
Within the ranks of the Proud Boys, within the anti-government militia of the Oath Keepers, among followers of the QAnon conspiracy movement, and among supporters of Donald Trump, the message was clear weeks in advance: the president needs you to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
“It will get warmer”
After Donald Trump’s tweet, many of the ex-president’s loyalists announced that they were planning to visit Washington. Some just wanted to participate in one last pro-Trump protest, but others said they wanted to prevent the certification of the ballot and punish the “traitors” of Congress.
Several dozen of them have equipped themselves with combat helmets, stun guns of the Taser type, bulletproof vests, anti-aggression aerosols. A handful of them had guns.
The day before, homemade bombs were placed in front of two buildings near the Capitol. The bombs never exploded and they may have been intended to keep police away from the Capitol just before the assault.
According to court documents, the most organized were the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers militia, made up of ex-military and ex-police.
At the end of December, in Berryville, 100 km west of Washington, Thomas Caldwell, described as the “commander” of the Oath Keepers, called on his supporters to join him in the suburbs of the American capital for a preparatory meeting.
“Let them try to certify this shit on Capitol Hill when there will be a million patriots on the streets,” he wrote on Facebook. “It will get warmer”.
“You have to hit them and crush them,” he added.
Attack the Capitol
In Bridgeville, Pa., Pro-QAnon conspiratorialist and Proud Boy member Kenneth Grayson, 51, was also gearing up.
On December 23, according to legal documents, he texted his family and friends, “I’m here if Trump tells us to attack this Capitol crap.” (…) They will not steal this election ”.
On December 29, William Calhoun, a lawyer from Georgia, said on Facebook that being “physically present in Washington on January 6” was “of critical importance.”
“We the people have no other realistic options for communicating our intention to demand fair elections now and in the future. Otherwise …. ”he warned.
A week later he announced that he was on his way to Washington “to let them know that this is their last chance” to rectify the fraud. “Otherwise, they’ll have bigger problems.”
“We did it!”
On the morning of January 6, Ronnie Sandlin of Memphis, Tennessee (south) and Nathan Degrave, of Las Vegas (west) made a video of their projects.
“I think it’s time to take the Capitol, and I don’t say that lightly,” Mr. Sandlin said. “If we have to occupy the Capitol, we will occupy the Capitol. Everything will be played out at 1:00 p.m. ”.
After the attack, the rioters filmed themselves to claim victory and posted the videos on Facebook.
“Today we the American people have proven that we have the power,” said lawyer William Calhoun.
Two Proud Boys, Nicholas Ochs, from Hawaii, and Nicholas DeCarlo, from Texas, broadcast a video live from the Capitol.
“We came to prevent the theft” of the election, Ochs said.
“That’s what I came for. And we did it! ”Added Nicholas DeCarlo.
–
