Dozens of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, seat of US legislative power, on January 6, in Washington.
Gathered at the call of the Republican President, to contest Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election, the demonstrators managed to access the very heart of the building and stay there for several hours. In the midst of the clashes, one of the insurgents was shot dead by the police.
The images taken on the spot, as well as the accounts of witnesses and journalists present on site, allow us to retrace these few historic hours.
13 hours
Donald Trump: “We won’t give up, we won’t concede anything. (…) We do not concede after such a theft. “
A few hundred meters from the White House, the American president repeats his refusal to recognize the result of the presidential election. Tens of thousands of his supporters made the trip.
The speech finished, part of the assembly takes the direction of the Capitol, two kilometers to the east, where the session of validation of the results by the representatives (American equivalent of the deputies) and the senators is held.
1:45 p.m.
The crowd tears down some barriers that encircle the lawn of the Capitol. Demonstrators climb low walls. As the demonstrators gather at the foot of the building, some sing and harangue the police. Metal barriers blocking access to the building are knocked down.
2:30 p.m.
Once climbed the steps of the Capitol, demonstrators attack several doors, which they try to break the windows. Some use barriers as a ram. Tear gas is propelled by the Capitol’s security forces in an attempt to repel them. In vain.
The first protesters end up rushing into the building, in two places: at the level of the south wing, facing the House of Representatives, and in the north wing, near the rotunda.
Once inside, a few dozen demonstrators hurry to run in the corridors or to join the rotunda, under the huge dome that covers the building.
A few try to break down office doors. Others pose in front of photojournalists.
Capitol Police are asking elected officials, journalists and staff to stay sealed in the House of Representatives.
One of the elected officials, Democrat Peter Welch, communicates live from his smartphone:
2:45 p.m.
One of the windows of the room is broken, from the outside, by insurgents. Police officers draw their handguns and aim them.
Protesters continue to advance in the building. One of them enters the office of Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic president of the House of Representatives. He steals some mail there and leaves a few words on the desk: “We will not back down. “
At the same time, at the western end of the Capitol, at the entrance to the speaker’s lobby, a member of the police opened fire. Ashli Babbitt, a Donald Trump supporter who takes part in the action, collapses. Transferred to hospital, she was pronounced dead shortly after. The head of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department immediately announced the opening of an investigation.
It was not until about 5 p.m. for the Capitol Police, joined by FBI agents and Washington police, to regain possession of the premises.
The police announced a total of fifty-two arrests, including twenty-six in the Capitol, the death of four demonstrators, including three outside the Capitol for “medical emergencies”, as well as fourteen injured police officers, including two hospitalized.
