Washington DC – Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Capitol was overrun by extremists looking to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election. While lawmakers gathered to certify the election, protests erupted and turned violent around the Capitol building. Ultimately, they breached security, entered the building, broke windows, entered offices, and vandalized the building.
“SALDEF condemns in the strongest terms yesterday’s assault on the United States Capitol by extremists in a misguided attempt to overturn the certification of the 2020 Presidential election results,” said SALDEF Executive Director Kiran Kaur Gill. “Violence has no place in democratic protest. Disinformation intended to sow distrust in our democratic processes has no place in a democracy. We strongly denounce those who encouraged and enabled this Violence.”
The extremists did not succeed in subverting the U.S. democratic and electoral system, with the House of Representatives and the Senate certifying the election win for President-Elect Biden late last night. We implore civic leaders across America, from all sides of the political spectrum, including those in the current Administration, to unequivocally denounce these acts of domestic terrorism, hold the perpetrators accountable, and take the steps necessary to bring about a more just and unified country.