The contrast between the law enforcement reaction to the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday and the suppression of peaceful protests in the summer is not just stark – it is black and white.
The Black Lives Matter demonstrators crowd outside the White House on 1 June was a block away from the building and made no attempt to breach its security. It was a mostly Black crowd, and it was charged by a force made up of Washington police, US Park police, over 5,000 national guard troops and federal agencies like the Bureau of Prisons. An army helicopter swooped low over the heads of the protesters. Teargas, batons and horses were used to clear a block so that Donald Trump could stage a photo op outside a church across the road. A national guard commander later admitted there had been “excessive use of force”.
The events in Lafayette Park in June 2020 represented a defining moment of the Trump presidency. So will 6 January 2021. The mob that stormed the seat of US democracy on Wednesday had openly talked about such a plan, were explicitly intent on overturning a fair election, and some had hinted they might be carrying guns. They were almost all white. Many were openly white supremacists, and yet the thin Capitol police collapsed in their path.
It is unknown why there was not a greater show of force in front of the Capitol building, given all that was known about the plans of Trump’s supporters. In the summer, the national guard from several states parked armoured cars in the Washington streets and stood in full body armour in serried ranks on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – all ahead of protests calling for the law to be upheld and an end to impunity for the police killing of Black Americans.
The deployment ahead of the 6 January riot was far lighter. After Washington’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, made a request, 340 guardsmen were activated in advance, of which 115 were on duty at any one time, mostly helping direct traffic. The DC and Virginia national guard were only deployed in significant numbers after the Capitol had been breached.
One big difference was that Trump was driving the deployment in June. He was silent on Wednesday, apparently unwilling to set troops on his own supporters. The New York Times reported he resisted calling out the national guard. The deployment was finally ordered by the acting secretary of defence, Christopher Miller.
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Below: Supporters of Donald Trump clash with police officers in front of the Capitol building in Washington DC on Wednesday. Photograph by Leah Millis/Reuters
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Below left: A pro-Trump rioter is tended to by a police officer while suffering the effects of chemical agents used to disperse crowds after rioters stormed the grounds of the Capitol on Wednesday. Photograph by Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Right: On 1 June, police clear the street near the White House as protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. Photograph by Evan Vucci/AP
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Below left: Trump supporters gather in the Capitol Rotunda after breaching security on Wednesday. Photograph by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Right: A protester raises her hands near a line of national guard troops near the White House on 1 June, as demonstrations against George Floyd’s death continue. Photograph by Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty
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Below left: Rioters supporting Trump break into the Capitol on Wednesday. Photograph by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Right: Police advance on protesters outside the White House on 1 June. Photograph by Erin Schaff/The New York Times via eyevine
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Below left: A demonstrator is taken into custody by police after a curfew took effect during a protest over the death of George Floyd, on 1 June 2020 near the White House. Photograph by Alex Brandon/AP
Right: A rioter takes a photo near police officers in riot gear who are dispersing people gathering at the Capitol on Wednesday. Photograph by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Above left: Trump supporters climb on walls at the US Capitol on Wednesday. Photograph by Jose Luis Magana/AP
Right: Trump walks between lines of riot police in Lafayette Park across from the White House after walking to St John’s church for a photo opportunity during protests over racial inequality, on 1 June. Photograph by Tom Brenner/Reuters
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Above: US Secret Service uniformed division officers stand guard during a rally near the White House against the death of George Floyd on 1 June. Photograph by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
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Above: Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol on Wednesday. Photograph by Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty
