Four people have died as a result of the violence at the capitol building
Video footage appears to show police officers outside of the US Capitol lowering barriers to allow domestic terrorists to enter, as tensions escalated inside the building.
The video, which was posted on Twitter by user Joshua Potash, shows a group of police officers face-to-face with the pro-Donald Trump rioters, with respective parties either side of the barriers.
Police can then be seen moving the barriers and stepping aside as cheers go up from the crowd already inside the grounds of the building.
The footage has led to further questions regarding the conduct of police officers in Washington DC during a siege which president-elect Joe Biden called “insurrection”, and their readiness to apprehend or arrest those who broke into the capitol.
Well, confirmation that the cops literally just let them through https://t.co/kqhLn4swjq
— Read Let This Radicalize You (@JoshuaPHilll) January 6, 2021
According to NPR, there were 52 arrests in total on a day when Trump acolytes, many of them armed and some seen carrying zip ties, put their violent rhetoric into action.
The number of arrests, combined with footage later in the day showing the violent mob being allowed to leave the building to the loud cheers of supporters outside, has also led to criticism over police officers’ willingness to use force, especially compared to the behaviour of officers during anti-racism protests in the last year.
In the aftermath of the siege, US president Donald Trump has been suspended from major social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram over a video in which he called rioters “great patriots”.
