The organiser of the "Justice for J6" rally in support of those arrested for their participation in the deadly 6 January Capitol riot, called on all ralliers to respect law enforcement in Washington DC. Matt Braynard, who organised the rally, reminded protesters that officers are there for the safety of the marchers.
"There are uniformed officers here whom I demand you respect, you're kind to, you're respectful to and you're obedient to. They're here to keep us safe and we're counting on them to do that, and we know that they will".
Braynard also asked Justice for J6 participants to respect members of the media covering the rally events.
"There’s also many members of the media here, and I make the same request of them. You see somebody [that’s] a member of the media, be kind and respectful to them".
Washington DC and Capitol police ramped up their presence erecting additional fencing in expectation that the Justice for J6 rally might turn violent. US Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger reportedly said ahead of the event that the force is aware of "a small number of recent online threats of violence" during the rally.
The rally was expected to see around 700 participants gathering to support the roughly 570 rioters identified by the FBI - through the use of cell data - who participated in the deadly 6 January insurrection. Pro-Trump protesters stormed the Congress building on 6 January, demanding a vote recount and accusing Democrats and others of committing voter fraud. The former US president, Donald Trump, who lost the election, has been peddling similar baseless allegations, and failing to prove them in court.